Sometimes I feel the best way to deal with difficult situations is to turn to humor. A lot of people I know who work for the NHS use this as a method to deal with difficult, and sometimes tragic situations they find themselves in.
There is a lot we can learn from this as I too have used this in a range of situations. One example of this includes using it with people who I strugle to get on with or even understand. More than oftern, I find that humor dampens the tention in the room and lowers the levels for myself and others.