How to Deal with a Stressful Situation as Zen as Possible

Stress comes in many forms in our lives and it is an extremely dangerous condition that can turn your life upside down, it can wreck your career, and it can also wreck you, both physically and emotionally. You could say stress is a response to changes and challenges in life; they are needed for personal growth and accomplishment and without them life would be too boring, but too much stress is harmful and should be removed.
A very important piece of advice is to attack the source of the problem – stress – before it has the chance to translate into any kind of trouble for you and your health. By carefully changing certain habits you can negate most sources of stress in your life.
There is no singular solution to such an issue, but there are steps that work well in the struggle against stress. So here are some steps to help you reduce stress by creating inner peace.
First, you have to identify where your stress comes from: the daily activities, the people and so on. Make a top 10 list of the sources of stress. Take one element at a time from your list to see which of them can be removed and for those that can’t, find a way to make them less intense. When I say one entry at a time, this can be generalized with everything you do. Focus on something and remove distractions. If you concentrate to do only one thing, with practice you will get better at it.
We all have commitments in many areas but when we take on too many of them, stress is the inevitable result. Consider each of them, how much stress they provide and if they’re worth it; take steps to remove the most stressful ones.
Now let’s talk about change. Some things can be modified, others not. The past is one of the places where we cannot interfere, so stop worrying about it. The biggest way to waste time and energy is to let yourself be troubled by the past. On the other hand, some things are very susceptible to change, like your reaction and perception of everything that is happening in your life; do not forget that most of what we encounter is people related. If you let them, problems will attach to you and this is just a disaster looking for a place to happen. Just get out of their way and avoid being around sources of bad mood. By taking what others tell you too personally you make it your problem too.
Make time for yourself! This is one of the first things we sacrifice when we are busy in our personal hours, in time our energy is depleted and we start feeling encumbered.
You can do something enjoyable which also calms you down: go for a walk, do some sport, enjoy nature, in other words: relax. Have fun each day at least a few minutes; be creative by writing, painting or playing some music. Simplify your (life) routines, commitments, the information you receive. Don’t schedule every minute of your time, enjoy what you are doing in that moment; learn to take things slow instead of rushing through life, and enjoy the people around you.
Take care of your personal well-being by eating healthy, exercising and sleeping enough so that you actually feel good. Food has an influence on your ability to cope with challenges; proper nutrition has a calming and energizing effect. If you sleep enough you are a lot more capable to handle these little ups and downs. Practicing gratitude is not as obvious as the above but maintaining an attitude of gratitude is powerful against stress. By eliminating negative thinking, gratitude gives you incredible leverage against the negative influence of stressful thoughts and feelings.