Oftentimes things have to go wrong in order to go right. In fact, if the road you are traveling is always easy, you are likely going the wrong way. Some part of you knows this is true. Nevertheless, when life gets especially rough, it can be hard to remember.

We all want to feel safe and secure, but as we get older, we realize that we cannot always count on things being the same. We experience different incidents in our lives that turn our world upside down and cause us to feel the heavy burden of stress. Most of these incidents are not in our control, others we can control to a certain degree.

Stress is one of the primary causes of major health problems in our lives: it can cause heart disease, anxiety, sleep deprivation, auto-immune disorders, weight problems, unhappiness, and even depression along with other mental illnesses.

But we're busy - we all have places to be, things to do, and people to see. So how do we alleviate stress and still get our work done right (without neglecting our loved ones and ourselves)?

When life gets crazy busy, you might not have time for week long yoga retreats or weekend vacations and even therapy to life coaching sessions. So what can be done? Of course there are negative and unhealthy ways of dealing with stress in one's life. Whenever I am stressed and overwhelmed, I tend to deal with my stress negatively and it ends up making everything else worse and not relieving any of the existing stress. It only adds more weight to heavy load.

There are five simple things you can do. A few mindset shifts and a couple of actions that only take a couple of minutes. These can't solve the most severe stress related problems, but they can help most of us in a major way, everyday. Just give them a shot! It doesn't hurt to try.

1. Accept people just the way they are and smile

We get upset with others because they don't quite fulfill our requirements of our fantasy world of how they 'should' act. Instead, try accepting them for who they are, and recognize that, like you they are imperfect and seeking happiness and struggling with finding it. Accept them just they way they are. It is impossible to change them so don't dwell and worry about it. And it is rude to try. So take a breather and save yourself from needless stress. Instead of trying to change others, give them your support today and lead by example.

2. Consciously squash the needless comparisons

Sometimes the reason we struggle with stress and insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes circumstances with everyone else's public highlight reel. Give it up. Don't compare your Chapter 1 to someone else's chapter 15. Follow your own path, write your own life story, and never give up on yourself.

3. Take one step at a time

You will feel better and less stressed if you do just one thing at a time.

4. Set clear goals and boundaries for your day

This is very important. You are not Superman. You cannot do everything. Things take time. Sometimes life can get hectic at times and everything just rolls into complete chaos and a mess. Good balance for a day, either between school/work and rest is a necessity.

5. Listen to yourself