2. Pledge to acquire more and better people-skills. In part, this may mean letting go of slights—intended or assumed. You can manage your reactions to people who seem determined to get under your skin. (Watch how other people handle them.) Heed the results of a 20-year study from the University of London: failing to control your reactions to stressful events and people is a more dangerous risk factor for cancer and heart disease than smoking or a high-cholesterol diet.