Stress is part of every person's life, but working mothers have more than their fair share of it. If you are a working mother, you probably feel like you are juggling in order to keep both your career and your family running smoothly. Even more difficult can be to find harmony between the two. When your boss wants you to stay late, but day care will penalize you for late pickup, it may seem like the different parts of your life just do not fit together. Whatever your individual challenges, these eight stress-reduction tips can help you reduce tension and find balance in your life.

1. Face your stress

Figure out the things that cause the most stress in your life. The easiest way to identify your stressors is to sit down and make a list of all of the things you worry about or dread doing; they will be different for everyone, so really think about what your individual triggers are. Consider not only the events that stress you, but other factors like time of day or circumstances such as being hungry. For example, are you chronically late for work because it is hard to get your toddler ready in the morning? Or, maybe you are a morning person and by nighttime you cannot deal with helping the kids with their homework. Or maybe you get upset easily when you are overtired or hungry. Whatever the issues are, identifying them is the first step toward dealing with the stress in your everyday life.

2. Prioritize

Once you have a list of all the things that cause stress for you – and the list may be really long – you are ready to prioritize the items on your list. First, group them by how stressful they are to you. Which things are minor stressors and which ones really cause you angst? It is impossible to remove stress from your life entirely – and some stress is good for you – but you can identify the areas where you may be able to remove worry from your life.

Second, you need to prioritize the items on your list by how important it is that you deal with the items. If you are stressed by the fact that you are undergoing medical treatment, you cannot hire someone to take it over for you. However, if dirty bathrooms drive you nuts, you may be able to find someone to do that chore over for you. Make sure you are realistic – just because your husband doesn't fold the towels the same way you do does not mean you can't delegate the laundry task to him.