Easy Ways to Manage Work Stress

Decorate Your Work Space

Personalizing your work space with photos of friends and family can make the most stressful environments a little more peaceful.

"When you're frustrated and you see pictures of people who you know love and respect you, you experience a sense of calming," says Suzanne Sorof, M.D.

Stress management author Debbie Mandel agrees. "When you see a photo of a child laughing, it causes you to think about releasing your inner child," says Mandel, who wrote about ways to cope with job stress in her book Addicted to Stress (Wiley, 2008). "And while you probably can't take your pet to work, photos of them will help calm you down."

Picture frames aren't the only way you can make your space special. Spruce up your workspace with items that have emotional value, such as:

• Jokes
• Magazine clips
• Children's artwork
• Comics
• Inspirational quotes

"Choose things that will break you out of your negative mood," Mandel says.