There are all kinds of stresses in our lives – family, friends, finances, responsibilities, work, and the list goes on. But the worst kind of stress is when all these worlds collide, causing what seems to be a time of complete chaos. At times like these, we tend to become panicked, confused, and irrational. So how can we find calm in all the craziness? Take control back into your own hands.

It's like we each have a bucket with a finite amount of room for problems and we do pretty well until it's full. But the minute it overflows, it's a huge psychic overload and yes, a breakdown. And this is precisely what happened to me just a  few months ago. I was dealing with the loss of my father, who also happened to be my best friend. One of my employees, whom I care about a great deal, was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. And on top of all of the daily stresses, as well as the ones listed above, a mistake happened at work, which almost lost me one of my largest clients – it’s safe to say I was at breakdown point.

So I stopped, took a breath, and remembered the some of my important steps to gaining back control over my life.

First and foremost – breathe, relax, and clear your mind. Take a mental health day and regain the intelligence that all of us seem to lose sight of during a time of chaos. When we don’t slow down and just stop, we begin to make irrational decisions. This only leads down a slippery slope that only makes things worse.

Next, make a list. Somehow organize all those thoughts running through your head. Understand what is a priority, and what can wait. But you can only doing this by sorting out what needs to be done, and the time needed to get it done.

Then – take BACK the control. Of course we cannot do this with everything, some things, like a death, are completely out of our control. Instead concentrate on the things you CAN control. By doing this you are taking back the reins on your own life.

And finally the step that I find most helpful – talk. Don’t keep it all inside, know that family, friends, and co-workers are in our lives for a reason, and we can in fact depend on other people for help. Just simply talking things over with another person can make you see things in a different light. That person may also have a view on the issue that you may not even thought of. Either way, by talking through a problem you are dealing with it head on, and that is the key in moving forward to find a solution.