Living to work?

One of the best accessories you could ever incorporate into your wardrobe is something you can't pick up at your favourite local retailer, or even at the most exclusive boutique. When you're calm, relaxed, and (relatively) stress free, you instantly look and feel comfortable in your own skin. This self awareness and confidence brings a glorious glow to your skin and almost an aura of quintessential cool.

Ask yourself this: "am I living to work" or "am I working to live"...if you answered the former - a few modifications to your daily grind can alleviate many stresses. First - start you day with a hearty, healthy breakfast. If possible, limit the time you spend each day for emails to just 90 minutes -if you can prohibit yourself from being sucked into the seemingly endless stream of emails and inboxes, you can actually be productive. (This isn't to say you should ignore all other emails - some things genuinely can't wait). Secondly - plan a healthy lunch. If your time budget affords it, go to the gym or incorporate some exercise. Get outside! Walk around your building or complex! Fresh air, some sunshine, and a little strenuous activity can be the perfect stress reliever, and a little extra exercise is always a plus for everyone!

If you leave work at 6 PM - turn off your blackberry, mobilephone, or any other mobile communication device at 6:30. If something is truly am emergency and can't wait until the start of a new day, someone from work will either stop by your residence or find alternative communication outlets. The mobile leash our devices create can severely hamper "personal" time. So do your best to limit professional interruptions. Don't check your work email from home.

When your personal life is in order, your ability to be content and happy increases. Happy home lives lead to more successful professional lives.

So again, ask yourself - "am I living to work" or "am I working to live"...in 2009, I think we all could use a little less working and a lot more living! Stress is never en vogue!