1. Realize you can’t control everything.

You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control your reaction. Make your life easier, and react in a way that will benefit you and everyone around you.

2. Stop only seeing negatives.

Negativity is contagious, but so is everything that’s positive. Bad things are bound to happen, and it’s difficult to maintain a positive attitude when they do, but would you rather sulk or smile? Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and you don’t have to make it appear that way, but you also don’t have to make it appear like the fiery gates of hell.

3. Be flexible.

Not everything presents itself to your convenience. When life goes un-according to plan, just go with it.

4. Accept change.

It’s one thing for change to be unexpectedly thrown into your life, but it’s another to accept it. Even if it’s un-welcomed, don’t allow change to shrink you, let it help you grow.

5. Don’t forget your interests and your passions.

Chaos can make us forget what’s most important because all we can focus on is the disruption causing us grief, but we can’t forget what makes us who we are. Remember what fills your life with excitement, remember the things that make you feel good, because your passions will help you get through the chaos if you can remember to keep them alive.

6. Don’t allow one bad day to create a sequence of bad days.

One bad day is only one domino, but when you let it topple over it knocks down the domino beside it, and then one bad thing becomes a never-ending stream of bad things. Terrible things happen, but you can’t let that dim the way you look at life. You’re allowed to have a bad day, but wake up the next morning and try to make it a good one.

7. Talk to someone.

Vent. We’re all good at it, and while your friends, family, loved ones (whoever) don’t necessarily enjoy hearing about the chaos in your life, they’re willing to listen. Whining and talking are two very different things, talk about your chaos, don’t whine about it.

8. Release anger.

In a healthy way. Chaos causes different emotions for everyone, for many, it’s anger. Don’t take your anger out on your friends, your family, your coworkers, your pets, don’t allow anger to make you someone you’re not. Release it on something that can’t respond. Go run 12 miles, go take a kickboxing class, go clean your entire apartment floor to ceiling for the next 5 hours, do whatever you need to do, but deal with the chaos without negatively affecting the ones you love.

9. Don’t hold back your feelings.

Cry if you want to cry. Tears won’t make you weaker, and holding them back won’t make you stronger. Let your feelings be felt, that’s why you have them.

10. Take a break.

Mentally, physically, emotionally, just take a moment to breathe. Whether you need to take a walk, meditate, write a poem, do what you need to do to escape the chaos for just a moment. Don’t think about anything other than what you’re doing. The chaos will be there when you return, but you’ll return to it refreshed.

11. Remember your health.

Stress, chaos, disruption, it comes from things beyond ourselves and makes us blur our own life out of focus. Don’t forget your health. You only have one life and one body, be kind to it, nurture it.

12. There’s always someone who has it better, and always someone who has it worse.

When your life feels a mess, you look at everyone else and see perfection. You see them and they have it all together; you see yourself and you’re falling apart. There will always be someone who has a better salary, a better love life, a better apartment, but the comparisons are based from your own insecurities. Everyone has problems, and you’re not the only one who’s struggling.