Even if you are going through a fairly amicable (is there such a thing?!) divorce, the stress of a divorce is bound to affect even the sanest of souls. We all go through life upheavals, but the question is, can you handle it?

You may have to field awkward questions from well-meaning friends and family and social functions, or even from your friendly grocer round the corner, "Hey, where's your husband/wife?"

Tussling over minute details in divorce settlement papers makes your blood boil and you stew internally over past issues with your ex. Moving out of the marital home or getting used to sleeping alone again after years of being part of a couple are both emotionally traumatic. You're dealing with loss and it's a tough act to follow.

Don't let your thoughts and emotions get the better of you. What you need is a bag of tricks to beat the stress game.

Give yourself some me-time everyday. Allow yourself a "breakup budget" to do the things that relax you. Book into a massage salon, or soak in the tub in expensive bath salts, or indulge in a rare jazz record. If it makes you feel better, you've milked away yet another drop of divorce stress.

Stop worrying. Divorce brings a whole tide of change and uncertainty - it can be as long as several years before you finalize it - so you have to keep your head above water by forcibly halting all the worry. Do you think worrying about an issue for another two hours will it change things, make it better, or go away even? No, so gather some mental strength and change your focus.

Make a list. If your stress and worries are just too much, dump them in a journal. Your friends must've heard what you're going through 10 times over already, so spare them this tedious repetition. Not only that, writing down your problems helps you organize your thoughts and possible solutions. Then leave them on that sheet of paper. You can tick off the ones you solved over time and you know what stage you're at and how much more you need to go.

Find stuff that makes you happy. When you catch yourself sinking into a pit of despair or you're just feeling terribly lonely, do something that will shift your mood upwards. Be it a favorite TV sit-com or putting on some peppy tunes, you need to look for the triggers that cheer you up.

Set a daily goal. It may be something major like quitting smoking, or tiny like forgoing ice cream before bed, but acts of accomplishments could help you re-focus your life and gain a sense of control. There's nothing sweeter than doing something new for yourself.

Work out. Whether you're depressed or downright furious, exercise helps you disperse all that negative energy. Think of it as putting your frustrations to good work. Pound the pavements or shoot hoops but make sure you sweat it all out.

Maybe you've tried everything you could think of, but life for you is spinning out of control. You're not sleeping, going through the motions like a zombie, or you can't climb out of bed - we all have those moments. Just remember, this pain will heal when time passes, and the best thing you could do for yourself now is to take care of you.