Feeling “calm” and “grounded” aren’t exactly common side effects of being in your 20s today. It’s hard, financially, to make it out of college right now. You’re saddled with debt, the real estate market is expensive, and jobs aren’t hiring candidates right away. The competition is stiff, and you’re probably feeling the pressure.

Fear not, you can still maintain a semblance of calmness despite it all today.

Here are 4 tips for getting started:

1. Acknowledgement:

Before you get started pursuing a calmer state of being, you need to first acknowledge what you are and what causes you to feel stressed, angry, and sad. This is the longest part of the process, but the most important. If you find that 100% of your stress is coming from work, it may be time to apply for a new job. Simple fixes like this can yield astounding results.

2. Set Goals:

Having something to work towards actually makes us happier and subsequently more at peace with ourselves. When we’re more at peace with ourselves, we’re more likely to exhibit that calmness in everything we do. The more we act calm, the more we develop calm tendencies that are able to withstand anything that comes our way today.

3. Weekly Tasks:

Goals are a big picture approach to being grounded. What about the incremental steps? Set up weekly tasks that bring you pleasure and happiness. Maybe it’s cleaning, going to an exercise class, or reading the Bible. Whatever it is, get it moving.

4. Prepare:

Life isn’t going to slow down so you can learn how to be calm. Instead, you need to learn how to insert your calmness into “not calm” situations. Go through the steps just listed until you learn how to prepare yourself for each new problem.