Some people love to live in drama, others prefer stringent routines, and the rest of us fall somewhere in between. What we all have in common is that we've all felt out of control at some point in our lives, and know that such periods can elicit stress, confusion, and adrenaline-pumped reactions —hardly the optimal responses for personal mastery.

Consider the person who spends so much time worrying about his or her responsibilities and to-do’s, that the very action he or she could take to alleviate this burden is waylaid by the worrying. This is perfect a example of someone creating more chaos than was originally present, if at all!

Tip: Ground yourself — physically and mentally

There’s a way to prevent yourself from spinning into a frenzy or letting the chaos control your actions. Here’s what to do:

Stop what you’re doing and thinking, and ground yourself. Literally, put both feet on the ground, your hands at your side or resting on your knees, and take a slow, deep breath.

Maintain this posture for a minimum of 10 seconds, slowly breathing in and out.

This physical halt will help you mentally break the cycle of worry and chaos, allowing you to reorient your thinking, then your actions, on what you can do to focus, prioritize and take the necessary action.

Now ground yourself mentally. Focus on your vision or desired goals. This will aid you in making sound decisions (not those based in fear or made in haste). From here, identify those actions that will help you reach your goals and fulfill commitments made. List only the top three, for starters. Otherwise, you might create another whirlwind of chaos.

Interested in this topic? Try this month's intrapersonal worksheet : Creating order from chaos.

Want to browse more handy intrapersonal mastery tips? Check out our Mastery-Tips Archive.