How Should I Handle Work Stress?

Author and beauty and wellness educator Mary Beth Janssen, who holds "care for the caregiver" workshops for the salon professional through her company The Janssen Source, says that you shouldn't wait until you've become too stressed to de-stress.

Instead, she says, learn to slow it down on a day-to-day basis. "Listen to your inner essence," she says.

"Set an intention every morning that you're going to spend your day in deep attention to those inner yearnings that will make your heart sing. Spend some time in contemplation; take deep diaphragmatic breaths to assuage stress."

Tend to the basics by exercising and eating delicious, wholesome foods, she says, but also feed yourself with positive energy.

"Be the optimist even in the face of great challenge. This all takes a commitment from you to want to feel as joyful and vibrantly alive and present in your life as you possibly can," Janssen says.

One of the most powerful ways to nourish positive energy is to give to others. "Being there for others is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others," Janssen says. "Think about alternative ways to share. For example, I'll give massage therapy treatments to family and friends. I've given homemade herb-infused almond oil for the most delicious skin care therapy possible."

"How about a platter of cookies or homemade fudge? They can be given with a huge kiss and a heart-to-heart hug."

De-stressing is ultimately about sustainability, in your work, in your relationships and in the world, Janssen says.

"It requires our present-moment awareness, our mindfulness to our choices," she says.

"I love what Thoreau said. ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined. If you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.' And less stressful!"

To bust stress at work, think of others, says wellness expert Mary Beth Janssen.