The majority of professional women I meet today do not have the luxury of a health club membership, household help, grocery delivery service, or a family who believes that, "Mom works and therefore we should be helping with the household chores."

Workingwomen today are in a job positions where there is rarely an assistant to help them with customer contact and correspondence, and there are always demanding customers, deadlines, and projects to handle. There's always the old "too much to do, too little time, and stress and pressure are the norm."

Recently, CNN reported the results of a recent survey. Forty per-cent of those interviewed on job-stress said their jobs were emotionally draining. I wondered how many who participated in the interview were women.

Women today are working in a fast-paced and fiercely competitive environment in companies that are understaffed. They commute back home dreading all the domestic chores that need to get done, and a family that needs their time and attention when all they wish they could do is lie down with their feet in an elevated position. The highlight of their evening, they say, happens when they can finally wash off their make-up, and drag themselves to bed. They tell me it's a miracle if they can stay awake for the ten-o-clock news.

In the morning, they wake up feeling like their "get up and go" "got up and went" yet the day has not even begun. They get to the office and only have a few minutes before an appointment, and they discover they have some forty-five E-mail messages to read. Sound familiar?

Perhaps you are among the ranks of workingwoman today that are "sensationally-single." Most single professional women I know are often feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and that they are facing the world on their own with only themselves to count on for their financial well being.

Most single women I talk to are overachievers who put great demands on themselves to succeed and are really feeling the pressure to perform. They approach me after my seminars hungry for any information that can help them to get ahead at work, but want to know how they can survive the pressure.

Whatever the case may be, I can guarantee you this - the key to survival for professional woman today who are working in a fast-paced world is balance.

Here are a few tips on how to make it through the day...

• Take five-minute "time-outs" during the day where you can calm yourself with quiet positive thoughts of something you enjoy. Don't allow any negative or stressful thoughts to enter your mind. In the evening, look at the clock, and set a time for allowing absolutely no thought to enter your mind about your job - even if it's for a few minutes. On weekends, give yourself several hours where you don't think about business - focus on your family, or better yet- yourself! I make it a rule to have these mental breaks, or I find that thoughts of business will consume me. Learn to let go!
• Do you have small children? Then set aside one day a week, or every two weeks for family night - where the family gets out of the house, and does something fun. Devote that time completely to the kids. This helps to eliminate any guilt you may be feeling. Oh! And if you have teenage children, it won't take them long to learn the consequences if they have no clean clothes to wear. Delegate at least part of the laundry, and dish-duty to them.
• Let go of unnecessary worry. Half the things we worry about we have no control over anyway. Besides, maybe everything you've been worried about will work out just fine!
• Surround yourself with positive people who are supportive in what you do for a living, and who you can turn to when you need a mental boost.
• Break big tasks into small tasks. Do one load of laundry every night and put it in the dryer before you go to bed. You can fold later. Wash one window each day until the windows are done. Don't do any major household chores in one shot - too time- consuming for those who must work for a living.

Feeling like you are about ready to "burn-out? Then listen to your body! Relax! Do something outrageous, lazy, fun, or simply be a couch potato. When was the last time you went roller-skating? Flew a kite? Took one of those "Calgon baths" we see on the television commercials. Do it. You'll be glad you did.