I've been speaking with one of my dear friends here in The States who told me a brilliant story. She has given me permission to share it with you. It's not only fun, but it could change your whole attitude to dealing with anger and frustration.

My friend and her husband made a pact at the start of their marriage that, even in the midst of a heated argument, they would never tell each other to "f*** off" or say "up yours". Instead they agreed, they would just say to each other "Honey. I love you." They've been married for nearly 20 years by the way.

The friend I'm referring to holds a high powered HR position in a huge global corporation and she was telling me how she had been encouraging her staff to use the same tactic at work! There had been a fair amount of bad feeling around the office for some time in the midst of mergers, redundancies and so on and the atmosphere was at times, a little tense. So, she shared this tactic in a recent training session.

The result is, the "Honey. I love you" phrase has caught on and people use it whenever they are feeling frustrated or angry. It's coming out in conversation and in emails and people are having fun with it! The mood in the office has changed completely as a result.

I'd go so far as to take it one step further. When you're angry or frustrated with anyone or with a situation, use the "Honey. I love you" phrase and then (if necessary, after a cooling off period) do something nice for that person or ask if you can do something for them. Not only is this likely to improve communication and the general atmosphere, it's likely to improve camaraderie and relationships and a sense of co-operation, because it's a much more positive approach. Who says life can't be fun, even when times are tough?!

With love

Annie x

Author's Bio: 

Following a corporate career spanning 20 years with Board level appointments and a series of personal challenges of her own, Annie has become a passionate specialist in Stress Management, also qualified in Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy, Reiki, EFT & NLP. She enables clients to achieve greater peace, focus, wisdom and insight through challenging periods with relationships, career, ill health, during crises of confidence and at major crossroads in their lives. Working with Annie enables people to relax, develop a positive focus and unlocks the confidence to create the life we deserve and to step into our personal brilliance .

Annie’s corporate experience allows her to work equally well within corporate life, delivering exceptionally well-received workshops and Soul-to-Soul coaching/counselling sessions. Her intuitive approach means each session is tailormade to the individual and every person who attends a workshop or Soul-to-Soul session leaves with new insights and proven tools that they can use immediately and which work!

She loves what she does and it shows! Seeing the ‘pennies drop’ for clients is a major source of delight for Annie . Many clients view their emotional recovery to be truly transformational and life-changing.

Her popular range of Stress-relieving CDs and downloads are available via Amazon. Telephone coaching and teleseminar programmes in addition, means her work is accessible to anyone, anywhere around the World.

Says Annie, “The people who seek my services are extremely capable people, but have often become overwhelmed by situations in their lives or by the sheer number of responsibilities they find themselves holding. This is often the result of a subconscious and untrue belief about themselves. The consequence is that they find themselves with an (often unconscious) negative view of themselves and their lives, which holds them back from being all that they might be and from enjoying life to the full. In raising awareness of these issues and in exploring different thought processes, it is my great pleasure to empower people to find a different route and to find their true purpose”.

Annie is a Member of the Complimentary Medical Association and the International Stress Management Association. She is also a Member of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and a Freeman of the City of London. She is an inspirational confidant, seminar leader, article writer and motivational speaker.