It can be pretty easy these days to get caught up in life's whirlwind and almost lose your mind. Here are some ways I found serenity and inner peace in the midst of a storm.

1. Rid Yourself of The Drama.

Let's be real here, as you get older, your tolerance for high school level of communication and petty drama goes way down. The best way to stay out of drama, especially if you work without a lot of women or the predominantly young age group, is just as the old saying goes. Mind your business. Don't repeat everything that you hear and don't ask questions. I have found that by practicing these things have steered me away from sticky situations and put me at cruise control onto the chill street of life.

2. Reevaluate Your Friendships and Relationships.

This one I feel is the most challenging for people, especially if you struggle with self-esteem issues, or have put a lot of effort and time into the relationship. It can be hard to admit that your "best friend" is really a jealous person looking for ways to steal your joy and put poison in your brain, or the significant other that you swear you need and can't live without but treats you like absolute garbage. Trust your gut and remember that true friends want the very best for you and will want to celebrate the milestones of your life and true partners will only add to your greatness. Compromise and sacrifice are not the same things. If you are putting out more than you are getting back and are not being met in the middle, it may be time to move on down the road. It's far better to be alone and completely content with yourself than to be in a friendship or relationship that makes you doubt your worth.

3. Make Realistic Goals.

I feel that part of the problem for people is that they bite off more than they can chew and get overwhelmed and defeated when things fall through. Start off small. Make a list of things that are (realistically) achievable within a week. For example: take a day to open and file bills. Clean out your wallet. Make appointments that you need to make that you've been putting off. As you cross things off the list, add something else that's a little more task demanding, such as hanging pictures up in your house. (You know that pile you have sitting there that you'll get to, it's ok, everyone has one). As you see things get knocked off the docket, you'll start to feel a little more at ease and in control.

4. Declutter.

This is everything. Believe it or not, by getting rid or things you don't need and giving yourself more living space by putting things away really makes a difference in your everyday life. If you live in clutter, your life will feel cluttered and unorganized even if it isn't. Take a day to clean out your desk, clean out your car, or go through your clothes and donate what you don't wear anymore (plus, more room for new stuff!). Deep clean your house. Not only will it smell fantastic, but cleaning can be oddly therapeutic and give you a sense of accomplishment.

5. Relax

Take it easy. You are not going to solve your life problems in one day. What you can do is accept what you cannot change and put forth efforts into things that you can. Try to be more understanding of people and their circumstances and don't take everyone or everything so seriously. Celebrate the little joys of your day. Time can be an evil thing; one day you'll blink and be twenty years older reminiscing on your younger days wishing you would've enjoyed it more.

Please keep in mind that I am no PhD. I did not do statistical research or surveys for this article. I am just simply sharing the things that I took into consideration when I felt my life really slipping away from me. I truly hope that what I have shared helps anyone going through similar situations!