Stress - What a B.

While money, and the lack there-of, can be a big stress trigger in the lives of most Americans it has been proven that, overall, once you hit $75,000 in earnings per year, your levels of happiness will not actually increase. That number shouldn’t scare you away from a greater level of earnings and it certainly shouldn't mean you give up part of your earnings to achieve more happiness. No matter which end of that scale your financials rest, you can organize yourself a bit better to help ensure money won't be a stress factor for you.

- Set up a monthly budget with tools like Mint.Com or LearningVest.com. With Learning Vest you can actually even set goals, such as paying off a credit card or adding a certain amount to a 401K and it will track how long until you accomplish the goal.

- Keep the use of your credit cards to a minimum. Sure, it's easy enough, no matter how much money you have, to just swipe the card, but if you don't pay it off fast enough you're spending more than the value of the item you'd purchased in the first place.

- Don't live outside of your means. Ask yourself if you really need something. And if the answer is no, ask yourself why you want it. It's OK to want things, and certainly to have them once you can afford them. But patience is the real key to your happiness here. You can set aside money monthly to help you earn that item which, in the long run, is safer than just adding it to your credit card.

If you follow these basic rules, you'll start to find your money worries melt away. Even if you have very little money now, and a lot of debt, you will start to see that debt vanish as you move forward, and as it vanishes, you'l see your financial stress begin to do the same.

Communication is very likely, always the key to relationship success. It doesn't matter if you are thinking of a friend, sibling, parent, co-worker or even a romantic partner, communication with them will ensure that you have made yourself clear. Allowing them to communicate back means that you have also taken the time to listen. Listening is 100% just as important as talking. Sometimes, keeping up with friends etc becomes a challenge in our otherwise, very busy lives. Not knowing what is going on or feeling disconnected can be a huge stress trigger so try to avoid that with a few tips.

- Personal notes: Send a quick email or text weekly to your friend. Ask a few questions and give a few updates on your life as well. Try to check in on things you know have been going on in their world like the kids, the job interview, the date night so on.

- Ladies/Guys Night or Date Night: Is it possible that you can set aside one night per month to all get together and hang out? It's easier than you'd think to do that. These nights could be at someone’s house, out on the town, dinner so on. Just make sure you have the chance to communicate vocally with one another during the event. For instance, going to a movie is fun, but you have not caught up any if that's all you do.

For those of you in romantic relationships it's important that you still feel connected romantically. You can help support this by having weekly or monthly date nights. Get cleaned up, go out (do not stay in the house) and experience the date together.

Being constructive is one of the best things you can be where workplace stress is concerned. If you have problems with other coworkers, are having issues on a project, want to take on something new or if you're hoping for that raise, figuring out a way in which to support those arguments/points is the best thing you can do for yourself.

- What is the root of the issue? Is a coworker not supporting you in the way you need or causing you grief otherwise? You might try the direct approach and let them know that you had expected X and feel like you're getting Y. Ask them if they have something else going on that you can help with so that you can ensure you're on the same page going forward. You'd be surprised how often this direct, yet supportive approach can make the difference you need.

- If you find you are the one having problems providing support you should be able to identify why that is the case and let the team know. They may be able to help you get caught back up and pick up some slack.

- No matter what the root of the issue is, always be direct at work, providing clear and reasonable supporting facts for each point you hope to make. You can overcome most workplace issues by identifying the root of the issue, challenge or problem, and then you can determine how to move past it on your own, or with the team where applicable.