Know what sets you off before someone else figures it out and starts pressing it.

Everyone has a couple of subjects that produce a reaction out of proportion to the moment. If you do not know yours, they are still visible from outside, and people who like winding you up will find them first. Knowing your own does not make you immune. It buys you the half second between the jab and the response, which is where the choice lives.

Think back to the last three times you reacted harder than the situation deserved and look for the common thread. Name it plainly, even if it is unflattering. Then decide in advance what you will do when it comes up, because deciding mid-flare never works.