Chapter 12 of Ezra Bayda's book Being Zen is called "Practicing with Distress". It offers a wise but somewhat clunky four step process to try when overwhelmed by problems. As Bayda puts it:

• Awakening aspiration
• Awakening curiosity
• Awakening humor
• Awakening loving-kindness

Briefer, better, more memorable is the acronym WALL:

• Wake
• Ask
• Laugh
• Love

(cf. Bursting the Bubble of Fear (2014-03-26), ...) - ^z - 2014-06-20