People who don't crumble under stress share these 17 habits

Life Is Stressful.

A person with red lipstick and white-framed glasses looks stressed and overwhelmed while peering through a large stack of binders. A calculator and a notebook are placed in front of them on a desk.

We are bombarded with negative emotions from responsibilities and worries about our family, career, finances, friends, and future. Sometimes we can remove the stressors from our lives, but not always. So then it comes down to managing the negative emotions we’re experiencing. Not managing those negative emotions that come with living life can lead to long-term health problems (mental and physical), relationship problems, and a lower quality of life.

Learning how to manage these emotions effectively can help bring you closer to finding peace and happiness in your life.

Here are 17 habits of people who do just that.

1. They distract themselves.

A man wearing glasses and a beige sweater is sitting at a table, holding a pencil and working on a crossword puzzle in a newspaper. A cup of coffee is partially visible on the table in the background.

Negative thoughts and emotions tend to spiral and get worse the more we ruminate on them.

Distracting oneself is a viable way to combat these negative emotions.

Force the thoughts from your active thought processes by engaging in other mentally stimulating activities.

Logic puzzles, sudoku, crossword puzzles, or jigsaw puzzles can be an excellent tool.

2. They channel their emotions.

A woman with a red headband and hoop earrings is focused on painting. She is seated in a studio with various art supplies and furniture in the background. She wears a green shirt and holds a brush, working on a canvas. The environment is cozy and artistic.

The act of channeling one’s emotions into art is a practice as old as humanity itself.

Turning the negative energy into something positive by creating is a tangible way to vent out difficult emotions and process them.

You don’t necessarily need to be good at the thing you’re doing for this to have a great benefit.

Draw, paint, sing, dance…do whatever will help get that emotion moving out of you.

3. They reframe situations.

A woman in a pink sweater holds a folder and a pencil, looking pensive. Behind her, a man and woman sit at a desk, blurred in the background. The room appears to be an office with bright daylight streaming through the windows.

A problem is no longer a problem if you choose not to view it as one.

It is much easier to keep a positive attitude about life when you decide that the negative experiences you meet are just challenges to help you grow and develop as a person.

Yes, that’s not possible with every negative experience you’ll have in life, but it is a powerful tool you can apply to many life challenges.

4. They exercise.

A person in sportswear, including a blue jacket, is jogging on a paved road that winds through a lush, green forest. The sky appears overcast, and the setting is serene with tall trees lining both sides of the path.

Though it is physical activity, exercise helps us deal with our emotions by giving us a place to channel them.

Anger and frustration can be easily channeled into physical activities like weight lifting or running.

And one can use lighter exercises to help work their way through sadness and pain.

Physical exercise is also a great tool for combating depression.

5. They use positive thinking.

A young woman with red hair smiles and looks into the distance while leaning her chin on her folded arms. She is wearing a white shirt and has a bracelet on her wrist. The background is softly blurred, suggesting a cozy indoor setting with natural light.

Positive thinking can sometimes evoke an eye-rolling effect for people who have been stuck in the negative for a long time.

But, the more a person can find a way to find the silver linings in the difficulties of life, the easier those difficulties become to manage.

If you’re wary of the whole idea of a positive mental attitude or think it’s superficial, just focus on trying to not interpret every bad situation as negative.

You don’t have to be fake positive, just try to not be negative.

6. They journal.

A person with long hair lies on a bed, propped up on their elbows, and reads a book or journal. They are wearing a cozy, white sweater and grey socks, with the background showing a modest, softly lit bedroom.

Journaling deserves its own mention because it is a specific type of writing meant to help process one’s emotions, achieve goals, and process thoughts.

It is a deliberate action where a person purposefully writes about their challenges with the express purpose of processing and finding a solution to them.

Journaling is a fantastic tool for self-improvement and stress management that can be employed by anyone.

7. They disengage.

A man and woman stand near a window with sheer lace curtains in a dimly lit room. The man, in a white shirt, faces the window while the woman, in an off-the-shoulder top, stands behind him with her back turned to the camera.

Sometimes a situation is past the point of no return. Sometimes there is no positive or necessary outcome to be had from a situation. Sometimes disengagement and removing oneself from a negative situation is the only way to deal with it.

Disengagement becomes a problem when it’s the primary means of coping and becomes avoidance.

But, there are some situations where disengagement is the only option.

8. They practice time management.

A person holding a pen is looking at an open planner filled with colorful sticky notes and handwritten entries for the 28th and 29th of a month. The notes list various tasks and activities like meetings, yoga classes, and project deadlines.

Many people are stressed out because they can’t seem to find enough hours in the day.

Time management is an excellent solution for those that feel like they don’t have enough time to get everything done that needs to be.

It’s also worth noting that sometimes it’s not a lack of time management, but rather the person taking on more than they can reasonably handle. They may need to drop some activities.

9. They ask for help.

Two women are looking at a computer screen and smiling. One is wearing glasses and a white top, while the other is standing and holding a file, dressed in a blue top. They appear to be in an office space with colorful posters on the walls.

A request for help can significantly lessen stress in just about any area of life.

Too much to do at work? You might need to bring it up with the boss so you can receive help.

Too many chores to do at home? Might be time to ask for more help from whoever else you’re living with.

The stress might be coming from somewhere bigger than that, requiring professional intervention.

10. They seek medical help.

A female doctor in a white coat, with a stethoscope around her neck, discusses medication with a female patient wearing a gray tank top. They are seated in a medical office with shelves of medical supplies in the background. The patient listens attentively.

Illness and health are common contributors to stress.

Medical management by an accredited professional may be necessary to address physical health concerns, like with diet, exercise, or chronic illness management.

Getting those problems under control can significantly reduce stress and help you be a happier person.

11. They problem solve.

An older man with gray hair, wearing a blue and red plaid shirt, is sitting at a desk in a library, intently reading a book and taking notes. In the background, other individuals are also reading at the desks. The atmosphere appears quiet and studious.

The best way to counter stress about getting things done is simply to do the things.

Identify the problem and take action to correct it.

The quicker you go about doing that, the less stress you will experience because of the thing.

12. They engage in therapy.

man talking to a therapist

Therapy is an excellent tool for stress management and problem-solving.

It has the added bonus of being an actual safe space to vent one’s innermost thoughts.

Having and confiding in friends is all well and good, but they are not always a good source of information and may not be able to help you.

Mental health problems should be addressed with a therapist.

13. They break problems down.

A man with short dark hair and a beard is looking up towards a light fixture above his head. He is wearing a white t-shirt. The background is softly blurred beige curtains, giving a warm and calm atmosphere to the scene.

Problems become more stressful when they feel overwhelming.

Breaking those problems down into smaller, more manageable chunks is an effective way to cull the stress down to a more manageable level.

Take the example of finding a job. Finding a job is rough and tedious even in the best of times, but it helps to break that down to a more manageable level of just submitting five applications a day until you find something.

14. They take control.

A woman with long dark hair and glasses is sitting at a desk in an office. She is wearing a gray blazer and white shirt and appears frustrated while speaking on her mobile phone. Her right hand is raised in an exasperated gesture.

A person’s stress level can climb dramatically when they feel like they are not in control of themselves or their situation.

Instead of sitting in that anxious space, it can be a good idea to take control of the situation and start working your way toward a solution.

Granted, not everyone has the personality or demeanor for doing this, particularly in a group setting.

But if you are getting stressed out from the aimless nature of a project, it might be time to offer to lead the way through it.

15. They meditate (or pray).

A man with short brown hair and a beard sits with his hands clasped in front of his face. He is wearing a black t-shirt and looking slightly to the left. Books and shelves are visible in the blurred background.

Meditation provides a number of mental and physical health benefits.

By taking the time to still the mind and empty oneself of thought, you give yourself an opportunity to put a pause on everything going on in your life and mind.

It helps to draw you into the present moment where there might not be a necessity of dwelling on or dealing with those negative thoughts and emotions.

Spiritual and religious practices can also be an excellent way to unload negative emotional energy if you happen to be of a spiritual inclination.

Prayer is similar to meditation, in that it is an opportunity to rest in the present in a moment of peace and quiet.

Many people use spirituality as a means of coping with the stresses of life.

16. They practice acceptance.

A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a plaid shirt, sits on a bed holding a white mug with both hands. She gazes thoughtfully to her left. The room has a minimalistic decor with a grey bedspread and a small bedside table with books and a lamp.

Acceptance is a powerful coping tool because it puts you at ease with whatever situation you’re in.

If you can’t change it, there’s no real point in stressing out over it. It is what it is.

To practice this, one must be adept at identifying what is within their control and what is not.

Any situation that you are not in control of or cannot gain control of doesn’t necessarily need to be worried about.

It’s true that you might need to deal with whatever the situation is, but after some time and practice you can choose how to feel about it.

17. They avoiding negative coping mechanisms.

A person with short, light brown hair holds a glass of red wine close to their face, gazing directly at the camera. They are wearing a peach-colored top and stand against a blurred background. The expression is neutral, creating a contemplative mood.

Negative coping mechanisms can trap a person in a destructive, emotional spiral.

There are obvious negative coping strategies such as promiscuity, substance abuse, emotional eating, escapism, and self-harm; and then there are not-so-obvious ones.

Most of the emotion-focused coping mechanisms can devolve into negativity if they are a constant escape hatch for a situation that needs to change.

Avoidance is an easy negative coping mechanism to slip into. The problem might be ugly, painful, and difficult to deal with, but it’s going to need to be dealt with one way or another.

A person may be fearful of confronting the issue or not want to accept the truth of the situation. Instead, they choose to avoid making a decision about the thing.

They might do so by binge-watching television, sleeping, or focusing on fixing the problems of other people.

Fixable issues need to be confronted and fixed. Issues that can’t be fixed need to be acknowledged and managed.

One must take some time to really analyze the situation and make sure they are following the right path for coping with or changing their situation.