When you're crazy busy, begin to lose concentration and feel like life is spiraling out of control, there are few things that instantly help regain focus and reduce stress. As these feelings can hit unexpectedly, eating the right foods or adjusting sleep habits aren't helpful when you need a quick or short-term fix. Whilst eating healthily, exercise, sleep and staying productive are by far the most beneficial ways to preemptively deal with stress, the following seven activities will come in handy next time you suddenly feel overwhelmed but haven't yet mastered the impossibly perfect and disciplined life.

eating healthily, exercise, sleep and staying productive are the most beneficial ways to preemptively deal with stress

• Avoid caffeine. During times of high stress, it's hard to make the right choices and choosing caffeine is rarely a good idea. Coffee, teas (such as black or green) and even colas can make us jittery, increase anxiety and affect sleep if we consume it too late in the day. Instead, opt for a calming herbal tea, such as chamomile, valerian root or lemon balm.


• Write down the day's priorities. Look over your desk, email and calendar and strip down your priorities to the absolute bare essentials. What will really happen if you don't do something today? Can you ask someone for help? When you have what needs to be done on paper in front of you, you'll feel a sense of relief as you won't be nervously trying to recall what you need to do. Writing it down gives you clarity and frees you up to focusing on getting those things done rather than worrying about doing them.


• Go for a short walk. Go outside and get away from the chaos alone, with a pet or with someone who understands what you're going through, such as a supportive colleague or your partner. If you're stuck on a problem, think about or talk through what you could do when you get back to the task.


• Talk about it with someone who listens well and understands. Advice isn't always necessary or helpful, but simply talking through what needs to be done can spark an idea or solution. Sometimes talking through your task list and issues helps put things in perspective leading to new ways of managing the workload or problem.


• Stand or sit and do nothing. Look out the window and observe the world. If it's dark and you have a clear sky, consider how small your problems are in the scheme of the universe. There will be times when things undone could have a serious impact on your well-being or quality of life, which is when you need to prioritize those things and put everything else on the backburner. But day-to-day, things are rarely as bad as they seem. Use this time to ponder why things need to be done, remind yourself the situation is not forever, and believe you will be able to cope. The simple exercise can be both empowering and relaxing.


• Don't fill a break with a thought-intensive task. Occupying your mind with another high-attention activity will only brush away the workload and issues temporarily. If you read a book, surf the web or engage in meaningful discussions about unrelated topics, you won't have the opportunity to try to calm your mind or figure out how to return to the work in a better state of mind.


• Don't multitask. Multitasking increases stress and reduces productivity and progress. Focus on your most important task until you're happy with what you've accomplished. Keep a timer in sight and stick to one activity for at least 25-30 minutes.