De-stress your life:
• Get more organized.
• Delegate some work.
• Don’t seek stress
(for example, by taking on excess work, moving houses, changing jobs, or starting major projects).
• Learn to say no to requests that don’t serve your goals.
• Get enough sleep— or at least rest.
• Remember to have fun— schedule time for yourself.

Deal with the stress constructively:
• Take a minute for you. Excuse yourself from a volatile situation and go to a private place to calm down. Take slow deep breaths and clear your mind.
• Call a good friend to vent.
• Read Getting to Yes, an excellent book about negotiating and a terrific resource for dealing with stressful interaction.

Soothe yourself:
• Schedule daily aerobic exercise into your life.
• Start to practice the calming techniques you plan to use for labor
—Lamaze breathing, self-hypnosis, or deep relaxation.
• Stretch gently at your desk.
• Listen to music (take a ten-minute MP3 break —while you take a walk—or play music as you work.
• Slip into a warm bath when you get home.
• Try yoga classes, or tapes for home use.
• Knit, play a musical instrument, fill in a crossword puzzle, or do any hobby that takes your full attention.
• Meditate
(Belleruth Naparstek has created some terrific guided-imagery CDs that can be found in your local bookstore or ordered over the internet).
• Get a massage.