No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you'd be more productive.

- Dr. Joyce Brothers

e all know that too much stress is a bad thing. It can cause sleeplessness, hair loss, headaches, infertility, loss of appetite ... the list goes on and on. While you might not die from these conditions, they can certainly affect your quality of life and your ability to excel at work.

Therefore, it's important to learn how to manage stress. I say "manage" because stress can't be avoided or prevented entirely. There are many external factors that are out of our immediate control; we must find ways to cope with them, rather than exacerbate stress by fighting them.

Perception and stress

The severity of a stressor's effect on you is largely influenced by how you perceive it. Consider the following two stressors:

• Believing your plane is going to crash
• Delivering a presentation to a large group.

Which situation will cause more stress? It depends on the person. Most likely, if you are in a plane that's about to crash, you will undergo a great amount of stress because you are experiencing a life or death situation. But for some people, delivering a presentation is equally stressful. While it is not realistic to assume that anyone will die from giving a presentation, the strain of the experience may be large enough to cause a reaction similar to that of a person trapped in a nose-diving plane.

Managing stress

Stress can be managed, and you have the power to do it. Noticing how your perceptions affect the quality of your life is one helpful step. Here are some techniques that will also help you cope when you heart jumps, your mouth dries up or your palms sweat:

• Inhale/exhale: Most of the time, when we are stressed we literally forget to breathe. Or better said, we forget how to breathe. We take many shallow breaths and don't give ourselves the oxygen we need.

  Practice breathing slowly and deeply so your lungs fill up completely. Practice until you are comfortable with this breathing and are able to recognize when you are not breathing properly. Then, when experiencing a stressful situation, take a minute or two to close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths.

• Let it go: For many of us, the first sign of stress is a pain in the neck. (No, not your boss. I'm referring to an actual pain in your neck.) For others, it's tension behind the eyes or tightness in the back or shoulders. Wherever your pain is, identify its precise location. Then, close your eyes and focus on that area and consciously relax it. Try this exercise a few times when you are free of stress or pain so you will be well skilled when you really need it.

• Escape: Many times a tense situation will make us want to run as far away from the stressor as possible. Obviously, you can't act on such an impulse at the office, but that doesn't mean you can't mentally escape for a few moments. In fact, being able to transport yourself from a high-stress situation to a calming escape can help you lower your stress level and react to the situation more effectively.

Before you are immersed in stress, create a soothing mental scenario. Perhaps it's lounging on a white sand beach, umbrella drink in hand. For some it may be listening to a favorite singer in a concert hall. Others may embrace the silence of a quiet room.

Whatever your daydream, make it vivid and detailed. Think about what it sounds like and what it smells like. Include details such as what you are wearing and who is with you. Most importantly, be clear about what you are doing. This is your escape and you are an active participant in it, not just a passive observer.

Now that you have your escape mapped out, you can go there anytime you are stressed. Close your eyes and retreat to your mini-vacation until you are able to return to the challenge at hand refreshed and renewed.

Stress is a fact of life, but it doesn't have to be a debilitating one. While some vexing situations are beyond your control, your reaction to them is completely within your control.

Relax, breathe, listen to your body and take a mental escape when necessary. You'll be well on the way to enjoying a healthier mind and body, which will enhance your overall satisfaction in all areas of your life.