They say it's the little things that make life interesting. But the little things may also be annoying. Anyone who has ever lived with someone else gets a front row seat to all their habits. There are too many examples to offer but top complaints might be: Why is he incapable of putting his dirty laundry INSIDE the hamper instead of on top of it? Why does he insist on loading glasses on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, which is clearly designed for plates? Why does he have to finish the last three words of every sentence you ever say? Those habits may drive you up a wall and eventually cause serious conflict.

"Fussing with each other often is a function of temperament -- especially when couples have quite different personalities," says Professor Charles R. Figley, PhD, at Tulane University. We all know what fussing leads to -- that kind of destructive constant quarrelling that can erode your relationship. But if you just ignore the annoying behavior, you will surely go mad. What to do? Here are a few tips for handling these daily irritations.

1. Remember: It's not just you. "Habit hating is not limited to married couples and can be found in all interpersonal relationships eventually," Dr. Figley says. You know what this means, right? You probably have some habits that annoy your spouse, too. Have some empathy and perspective.

2. Choose your battles. You really have to decide what's disturbing enough to "fight" (fairly) over and what you could accept as part of who your spouse is. Dr. Figley suggests, "When something is irritating, ask: If I can't change her or him, can I change myself to ignore or accept these differences?"

3. Balance with the positive. Dr. Figley says it's easy sometimes to forget why you married your spouse in the first place. So if your husband is driving you crazy, go ahead and list all those irritating things. Then write a list of traits and habits of your spouse that you love -- and make sure that list is twice as long. "When the irritation happens again, think of those loving traits," Dr. Figley says. "And tell your spouse about them!"

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