Do you find that most of us are getting into more arguments in this stressful time? Here are some tips I’ve been studying to help us to put out the fire before it becomes an all-out blaze. First we need to talk less and listen more. We need the hear the other persons “pain” to try to understand their basis for anger. Next, we should stall for time. We shouldn’t react emotionally and say the first thing that comes to our mind – because it’s usually hurtful to the other person. Remember, we’re trying to avoid a big blow-out, not win the argument in the first ten seconds. Third, we need to not use words intended to cause hurt and we need to lower our voice in response. Take a deep breath and have a calm response. The other person will follow your lead. This doesn’t mean we walk away from the situation, but we calm the fire down by admitting that we don’t have all the answers any more than they do.