It is time to begin your list for the day. You have a family to take care of, a job to go to, an extra couple of pets, and of course, the hours that you need to spend with the hobby that you are trying to build. As you continue to build your life, the stress that is in your life also continues to build. Eventually, you are physically and mentally strained. Coping with stress should be before any other item on this list in order to keep you at a healthy and functioning level.

Even though stress is considered to be an important part of every day life, coping with stress and stress management is just as important. By learning how to use stress management effectively, you can take the daily responsibilities, extra pressures and needs that you have and learn to cope with them effectively. This will prevent anything traumatic from occurring as a result of the stress. The idea is to learn how to balance out your every day lifestyle.

1. Identify the problem. As many say, recognition is half the battle. You can't learn to get rid of stress unless you know exactly where it is coming from. Maybe you have new responsibilities at your job that you can't handle. Or, have you possibly gone through a major personal change that is affecting how you react to things? Identifying the root of the problem is the first step to managing your stress.

2. Begin to think about balance. Whatever is stressing you out is most likely doing so because it is overburdening you in your life. It will be important to find ways to balance out what this is. Once again, the extra burdens at your job can be taken care of by speaking to others about sharing in some of the work, simply changing your deadlines, or working on other possibilities to relieve you of your burden. No matter what the circumstance, there is always a way to slow down the rush.

3. Begin to manage what you have. Organization and simple management skills can never be underestimated with handling stress. By taking a simple moment or two to make notes, keep a calendar or write out what has to be done for the day, you will have the ability to take the burden out of your mind. By simply looking at what you have to do, it will seem possible instead of overwhelming.

4. Build your network. We live in a time period where it is impossible to do everything by ourselves. One of the most important keys to coping with stress is to begin to network. There are several people out there who are willing to share your burden, help you move past it and can provide you with the support that you need. No matter what you are asking, make sure you have someone there that can help.

5. Simplify. It is important to recognize what you can and can't do. It is also important to prioritize. Maybe you are trying to do some things that aren't important. If you want to make sure that everything is falling together without your extra energy or effort, than simply simplify what you have to do for the day. It's okay to decide to not take on the world sometimes.

6. Change your mind. Are you one of the types that see something happens, recognize that it is going to throw everything off, and try to fix it? If you are like most, you know that things are supposed to be a certain way, work in a certain manner and have a specific place. However, this is simply a way of thinking. Instead, stop your stress by recognizing the beauty of things not being quite right. It is all just a learning process. By adjusting your mind, your life will also begin to adjust.

7. Relax. Every day, you should try to take some time to simply stop. Clearing your mind through things such as meditation is a great way to cope with stress. Simply sitting and breathing for 15 minutes will change everything about your day as well. Finding simple relaxation techniques that will clear your mind are an effective way of coping with stress.

8. Nurture yourself. Despite what popular thought says, you don't have to do everything for everyone but yourself all the time. Make it a top priority to do something for yourself at least once a week that will help you unwind. Things like getting a massage, watching a movie, or doing something frivolous are all just as important as the responsibilities.

9. Change your lifestyle. For some, coping with stress is not purely mental. It may also be linked to physical symptoms. If you are still having a hard time relaxing, even after a day at the spa, you might want to consider lifestyle changes. Not drinking as much caffeine or alcohol can help you to relieve stress. Eating more nutritiously will also help as it will slow down the stimulants that are affecting your body and that you don't need. You can also try exercising in order to balance out the physical functions in your body.

10. Evaluate what you are doing. At the end of the day, look back at what you have done. What has stressed you out? Where were there moments of peace? You can keep a journal in order to do this and to let things go. Some will simply prefer to sit back and let go of what happened during the day.

As can be seen, the most effective rules with coping with stress all involve letting go and letting be. If you are coping with stress from the everyday responsibilities and pressures that are occurring, you never have to look further than a deep breath in order to stop the stress from taking over your enjoyment of every day life.