We are approaching a moment in the year that is known as a relationship black-spot. When tension is in the air we are more likely to fall out over little things, and these can rumble on and ignite bigger things.

If you find yourself approaching a flash-point try this:

Ask yourself how you’d like the next few minutes of your life to be remembered. If someone was making a documentary what would the fly-on-the-wall witness as it watched you reacting to the stress? Can you choose how to behave in a way that would make you proud when you watch the documentary later?

I discovered this a few years ago and it works beautifully as a way to pull myself back from the brink (on a good day, with the wind behind me).