Mother and brother won't speak to me. What can I expect, and what might I do that's a healthy choice?

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It is a difficult skill, to accept criticism without getting angry. Try to squelch the urge to justify yourself, whine, or fire back some criticisms of your own, and focus on what exactly is being said. ’Teen magazine put it this way: “Listen to criticism with your head and not your emotions.”

Doing so helps you avoid magnifying or exaggerating what the other person is saying. Is this person really calling you worthless or a complete failure, or is he or she simply saying you did a sloppy job of painting the garage or of cleaning the stove? If the latter is true, why overreact? “There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake,” says the Bible. (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Today’s English Version) And even if you did fail at some particular task, it hardly means that you are a failure at life itself. So remind yourself that you have other strengths and virtues.

“Every time he does something stupid,” confessed one father, “I say, ‘You jerk.’” What if your parent likewise resorts to name-calling or other verbal abuse? First, get hold of your emotions! “Anyone holding back his sayings is possessed of knowledge, and a man of discernment is cool of spirit.”—Proverbs 17:27.

Don’t focus on the supposed injustice of what is being said; that will just get you angrier. Focus, instead, on the areas in which you need to improve. Give them the benefit of the doubt if they appear to be tired or stressed-out from work. “The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to pass over transgression.”—Proverbs 19:11.

While a counterattack would be inappropriate, you may be able to take some of the steam out of the assault. For example, try asking for specific ways to make improvement. Says Proverbs 15:1: “An answer, when mild, turns away rage, but a word causing pain makes anger to come up.”