The one thing that virtually all people have in common is the stress of living in this modern age. So much has changed in the last 25 years. Yet all generations had to grow up and take on the responsibilities of raising a family, making a living and figuring out their place in this complicated world.

Stress comes from several sources. Obviously, the first place most people think is work. We think of work as a source of stress because it is a place where making a living is important to our well-being. There are daily demands, deadlines and schedules to be met. In addition, most of us have to deal with at least one difficult person during our workdays, which only compound the stress.

Stress doesn't end when we walk out of our workplace. Traffic itself can be stressful. Then the joys of raising children and marriage can also bring some trials with them as well. It is common to come home from a difficult day only to face problems at home. The stress and anxiety just keep mounting up.

There is good stress that adds value to our lives. This type of stress motivates us to move forward in a direction that we want to create for ourselves. Our intention is one of self-care, even if it is challenging in the beginning.

When we speak of stress, we usually mean the difficult issues. Too much stress can lead to serious medical and mental problems if we don't develop some coping techniques to deal with it.

Some good small, but effective coping mechanisms that you may find helpful to defray the stress in your life include:

Get away from it.

To put the cares of the world in perspective, we have to get away from them for awhile. If nothing else, just soaking in a hot bathtub with a good magazine and some happy music can wash away the cares of the world and let them swirl down the drain with the bubbles. Look for chances to relax and put those worries aside for a little bit. It will help you calm your mind, rest your system and be ready to deal with those issues without so much anxiety, which doesn't help you at all.

Collaborate with your family.

Your family doesn't want to see you stressed out. They don't always understand how much they add to your problems when they throw the problems of the day at you as soon as you walk through the door. Remember that they are stressed with school or issues of work and relationships too. So partner together to create a little time to just be a family and 'love away' that tension together. Everybody will be better for it.

Take time for health.

It's strange but our diet and rest are the things we need the most to cope with stress and yet those are the areas of life that are most damaged if we let stress wear us down. So go back to basics and make sure you get good meals, good rest and take care of yourself. It will make you a better worker and stronger for your family as well.

Stress can be a serious concern to your well-being. You are responsible for taking care of yourself...no one else. If you take action to keep stress from dominating your life, you are doing something good for yourself, which will only help you deal with problems and solve them with creativity and intelligence.