Working woman. These two words said alone conjure up images of stress, anxiety and semi-controlled chaos. And when linked together � to paraphrase the words of Tony Soprano � fogetaboutit! Working women are the epitome of stress. I know, I am a working woman.

I recently read that women equal men in the number of heart attack deaths each year and that heart disease is now a major cause of death for women worldwide. Furthermore, research has shown that untreated stress can lead to depression, anxiety, headaches, weight gain and uncontrolled yelling. Ok, I added that last one, but I can testify to its validity.

The reality is, if you are a woman who works (and even if you don�t work outside the home, you are still working!), your life is stressful. Completely eliminating the stressors of our lives: work, family, home, other people, isn�t always possible so we need to figure out how to manage this stress. We, as working women, need to learn how to relax or someone is going to get hurt.


Loads of relaxation techniques abound from �autogenic� meaning using something that comes from within you such as a mantra (repeating of words or suggestions) to �progressive muscle relaxation� where you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group and finally �visualization� where you create images in your mind and take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation: sounds impressive doesn�t it? But, you don�t need some fancy-sounding technique to relax properly. Really, anything that makes you feel calm and emotionally contented would work. However, one size does not fit all. For instance, many of my friends swear by a long soak in the tub to ease their troubled minds. For me, I find any time I�m in the tub I start obsessing about how flabby my body looks in the water, definitely not relaxing nor stress reducing. I do find, however, exercising, really working up a good sweat, does lower my stress level. I always feel happier and at peace with the world after a great run.

If the mere notion of raising your heart rate gets your heart rate going, then you can try some less taxing relaxation methods such as listening to music. Research has shown that music has a profound effect on both mind and body and can offer many positive benefits such as lowering blood pressure and easing muscle tension.

Meditation is another good way to go to help ease your weary soul. But don�t be intimidated; it isn�t only scantily clad bearded men sitting cross-legged in front of an entrance to a cave that practice meditation. Every day, regular people, even harried women can and do meditate. Your meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes, tuning out the world and listening to your breathing for five to ten minutes a day. Or, you can really go full board, take a class and learn some transformational meditation techniques.

Perhaps talking helps calm you, so next time you�re feeling stressed, pick up the phone and give someone a ring. Sometimes a little positive human interaction makes the stress melt away. Or go find a comfortable place to curl up with a good book and lose yourself in the story. Or get out a blank piece of paper and colour. You�d be surprised how therapeutic a good colouring session can be. I often commandeer my children�s coloring books when I�m feeling particularly tense.

The bottom line is, the stress is not going away. We are busy women living demanding lives, but unless you want to end up on the nightly news (�crazed woman shoots everyone in sight��), you need to figure what takes you to your happy place. And when the stress levels start entering the danger zone, head there pronto! We�ll all be glad you did.

Coming up�Is a daily Mutli-vitamin really necessary?