When dealing with people who put you down, remember:

1. Don’t retaliate with your own put downs.

2. The comments will tell you a lot about the person who’s making the comments. It’s their anger and frustration and they should deal with it, not you.

3. Can you discover a gift within the comments? You might learn something valuable about yourself that needs to be healed or you might learn how you really feel about yourself.

4. Are you reading something into the comments that aren’t really there because you’re expecting them or because you have certain beliefs?

5. Be aware of the subtle messages (like advertising) that you hear every day which try to destroy your sense of value and self worth.

Put downs are never pleasant to deal with but if you can use them to your advantage, then that’s the best solution of all.