This is partly because we Brits have great difficulty in expressing ourselves physically.

However, we have moved on from the days when a stiflingly constipated, British-style stiff-upper-lip formal handshake was the correct way to bid some farewell.

A non-committal gentle embrace to show that there are no hard feelings accompanied with a "take care of yourself" said with feeling is fine.

But make sure your gentle embrace does not linger for too long and you should resist any urge to request "one last quickie" in mid-gentle embrace.

Then you come to the part where you have to walk away. My advice is that you, wave, turn and walk away – don't look back. Never look back.

Nothing can be gained from looking back (and I mean that both physically and mentally).

If you turn to look back and see her in floods of tears then you may feel upset and compelled to comfort her by returning to her arms. Then, before you know it, you have to start the painfully awkward departure all over again.

If you look back for a second time, see her crying and return to her arms you could find yourself repeating the process over and over again. You could be there for days in a circle of never-ending goodbyes.

You should also avoid looking back because she may NOT be crying. This may seem to contradict the last point. However, instead of her floods of tears you may be blubbing like a scolded four-year-old who has lost his teddy.

Stung by her apparent lack of emotion, you may then be tempted to end your, up until now, affable final goodbye with the words, "You heartless, cold bitch" and all the good work you did to make the split amicable will be ruined in one fell swoop. And before you write in, it is not 'fowl' or 'foul' swoop – Shakespeare is thought to have coined the phrase in Macbeth (you learn so much from this column).

Even if she's not crying, you might look back and catch her giving you the finger and mouthing to herself, "Good riddance".

If you do insist on looking back, make sure that you do not prolong the emotional parting wave, otherwise you may find this tender moment being suddenly interrupted by the impact of a lamp post to the side of your skull or, even worse, an oncoming vehicle. You see. Nothing can be gained from looking back.

Just keep right on walking. This will also imply that you have moved on emotionally.