Stress-busting strategies for busy workdays.(extra credit)(Conference notes)

First there's the bumper-to-bumper traffic, then a morning meeting where you feast on stale coffee and donuts. After that, you look down at your to-do list, which is filled with staff meetings, potential client lunches and an upcoming conference for your industry. Add to that, the piano recital for your daughter and your son's weekend soccer game, which leaves no time for that dental appointment you desperately need. If your schedule sounds as stressful as this, you're not alone.

Millions of workers have an increased workload, while also trying to keep a balance between home life and work life. For many, the stress is just too much. It continues to build, until they feel overwhelmed and their work starts to suffer. In addition, that kind of stress can turn into physical symptoms such as a cold or indigestion. Yet after we take our pills and see the doctor, we continue to do too much, worry too much and feel pressured and we get sick again. This time it might be more serious: our blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels may go up and we might even become depressed. This negative cycle can continue for many years and may even lead to more serious life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer ... until one day, the cycle stops--but so do our hearts.

If only we had known that by worrying, getting angry or doing too much we activated what is known as the "stress response."

If only we would have known this non-specific reaction to stress creates an excess of adrenaline, which is the "fight or flight" response whose purpose is to keep us in a state of alertness and tension. If only our doctors would have explained to us about the hormone cortisol that wreaks havoc on our bodies and minds. If only we had been given alternatives to the way we dealt with the inevitability of stress.

If only we could have done things differently. But would we?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Although we do not want to avoid stress completely, because it is a condition of life itself, we need to know when it reaches dangerous levels in our body and prevent it from harming us. The following are seven sure-fire ways to stay in control of stress in the office and beyond.