There is always an excitement to play a prank on someone and April Fool’s day gives a legit reason to do so. Even if the person takes offence you can just laugh it off calling it an April Fools' Day joke and to take it like one. But while it may seem all funny, no one wants to be at the end of these jokes. Being pranked is embarrassing all right, and we are all so caught up that we forget it’s the April Fools' day and we could fall prey to the tricks. This day you cannot really be safe in the office, with friends or even in the family (provided you have sporty fun-loving parents) In fact, it is easier for parents to fool us since they probably even know how we would even react to a situation. April Fools' Day 2018: Take a Look At These Pranks & Jokes That Will Surely Work

But if you are clearly not for fun and just want to avoid being tricked here are some tips you can follow:

  1. Be alert: This is very important. At the start of the day remember it is a day you could potentially fall for anything! So be alert. Remind yourself it is the 1st of April and today you have to be more alert.

  2. Question everything: Anything seems a little unlikely, pose questions. Have even the slightest doubt, ask questions. If your colleague is acting nicer, your friends are calling you suddenly, there is a meet-up plan then it may be a trick. So, you cannot trust anyone on this day, especially not your best friends.

  3. Don’t pick up unnecessary calls or reply to messages: Try and avoid using your phone a lot on this day. Because you may get calls about the best discount offers, job opportunity, or just a long-lost friend, all of them enticing to fall into a planned trick. There could also be spam emails which you need to be careful about. Avoid taking calls and replying to messages unless extremely important.

  4. Don’t react: Be calm in any situation you are caught in. Even if you fall prey to a prank, do not react as if anything happened. Just take it casually and walk away as if nothing happened. Let the person who pranked you think if the prank actually worked?

  5. Isolate: You could choose to isolate yourself and stay away from anybody who will prank you. Stay aloof if you just do not want to be pulled out on anything.

But here’s the trick guys, if you actually looked out for things that will not get you pranked, maybe you just have been pranked after all. You cannot technically stay alone for the fear of being pranked. When most of us coordinate our work over calls and messages, we cannot really stay away from our phones. We cannot ignore when mother calls and who knows what prank she has in mind when she calls you. Also, when the people you work with or those who you are close to, know how you react you can really not react. If you get upset, they are going to know it anyway. So honestly if you are looking for solutions to avoid April Fools' then sorry but you are one!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2018 11:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).