One of the challenges that all of us face once in a while is staying grounded when we find that old patterns and beliefs have cropped up and stuck their noses in our usually calm day. Now that you have knocked yourself off track, how do you get back to a state of balance?

There are many ways to do this. Here are some examples:

* Take a break. If afforded the opportunity, step away from the frustrating situation and find a quiet place to gather your wits and calm down. Some bitter words can be said, or actions taken, that cannot be taken back if you remain in the situation.

* Breathe. Taking a few long deep breaths will help center you and set your mind right. Just the act of stopping what you were doing to simply breathe can help immediately change your viewpoint.

* Change the subject. If you find yourself in an argument (either with yourself or another), focus on some other topic. Instead of trying to change the view of another person, just change the subject and find some common ground.

* Meditate. If you have time, take 5 to 10 minutes and relax in a chair or lie down. Focus on your breathing and let the tension release from your body. Let yourself be refreshed.

Now that you are grounded again, you can use your new head space to reexamine the situation with calmer eyes. With this new perspective, you can better see the frustrating situation coming and head it off at the pass. By examining the “sore” spots in your mind, future occurrences can be avoided, or at least tempered to a light grumble.