All this recession talk can wreak havoc with your energy centres, or as some of you know them, the chakras.
Research has shown that employing simple stress-management techniques can radically affect the way we deal with highly stressful situations.
For the frazzled executive, weighed down by global economic and financial woes, there is an array of effective destressing options, ranging from the quirky to the traditional.
The Gong Room at the Saxon
One alternative form of relaxation gaining favour is sound therapy, designed to realign those pesky chakras. For a full hour, you will be lulled into relaxation with gongs, cymbals, singing bowls and bells. The therapy is based on the Tibetan practice of using sound vibrations to balance and restore the body's energy centres. It is performed on a heated waterbed and incorporates colour therapy to really tickle your senses.
Among the other more offbeat treatments are cupping, Lomi-Lomi and drumming.
As kinky as it may sound, cupping is actually an ancient form of massage using small jars that are attached to the skin by a vacuum. It is said to be especially good for improving circulation and treating stiff joints.
As the name suggests, Lomi-Lomi is a massage treatment drawing on old Hawaiian techniques. The fun bit, if you can tolerate it, is when the therapist walks on your back. This is said to enhance the effects of the massage.
For a more spiritual way of releasing that stress, try out the various drumming options, largely drawn from the musical traditions of Africa and Native Americans.
But if you're looking for something more traditional which you can also draw on while in the office, then yoga expert Sally Flanagan recommends three options which, if done either together or individually, can prevent a physical or emotional meltdown.
Flanagan is a strong proponent of Bikram yoga, one of the most physically demanding disciplines of this ancient practice. "The quickest way to still the mind is to move the body," she says.
To get the full benefits of Bikram yoga, the room should be heated to at least 40°. Heavy sweating is a key element of this form of yoga, as it releases toxins.
There are lots of resting periods - Savasana - during the session and, because it is both a mind and body workout, it is popular with business people and corporate executives.
One way of managing sudden stressful situations is perfecting your breathing patterns. When relaxed, people tend to breathe more slowly and deeply and Flanagan suggests that when confronted with a sudden crisis, reminding yourself to breathe can reduce your stress levels immediately.
The third element to yoga and breathing is meditation, which Flanagan says is the classic, solitary form of relaxation. "Meditation does not stop you thinking, it simply allows you to focus," she says.
Like yoga and breathing, meditation can also be done at your desk or behind a closed office door for just a few minutes each day.
"With these simple techniques, you learn to be less reactive in stressful situations," says Flanagan.
