Dear All,I find the people on this forum the closest to my professional environment and hence the question. How do you handle the stress in your consulting profession? Although I have done fairly well in my professional career so far, I tend to think about work and work related issues most of time even when not in office. I do not hate my work, in fact, I like my field of work and I do not mind working hard either late or on weekends if project demands.But my problem is that I think about work, its issues, future uncertainties, things which are not going well at project all the time at home. This plays in my mind at background continuously. Is this normal? I know it is not. I want to know how the experienced folks on this forums deal with work related stress. There is lots of other theoretical advice on internet which I haven’t found much useful.What I am looking is some advice, tips, or directions from people on this forum who are surely working in such high stress consulting companies with huge expectations from your client and partner.

A few years ago, there was a long period when I was working 100 hrs / week. The few hours I had for sleep every night I was wasting with thinking about work, cause I couldnt relax (as you describe). Eventually, I randomly found the below book and tried out some of the tips. It helped it a lot to just take 10 mins before going to sleep / arriving at home after work to meditate (as weird as it sounds)quick & easy to read and very practical instructions (i.e. no monk on top of a mountain stuff):http://www.amazon.com/Minute-Meditation-Quiet-Mind-Change/dp/0399529950

Actually I think it is quite normal anon - and that perhaps your stress is coming from you rather than the work itself? You obviously find your work interesting and challenging - so perhaps a start would be to look at the things which preoccupy your mind (issues, problems on projects, the future etc) in a positive way? You could try writing down ideas to clear your mind, or take up something like running or other exercise, allow yourself to think through work stuff for the duration of that session, then relax?

I agree with Mars - I think you'll benefit from finding something which you can use as an outlet to take your mind of the work stuff or at least to help you unwind. I think about work a lot out of work too - not necessarily worrying about it, but I'd say it is often on my mind and I've found that for me, exercise really helps. A fast workout after work helps me draw a line between work and personal life. I fit it in when I can, and it helps me get rid of some of the tension I might feel, giving me a bit of time for myself, and then I feel more relaxed and ready to catch up with friends or wind down.Experience has shown me that you'll have really bad days on projects - some will be really testing - it's part of what's enjoyable about consulting, because you push yourself and learn new things during those stressful times. When you're in the middle of a stressful time, remember how you go through the last stressful time, what you did and what you learned - you'll get through this one too. And it will be good experience from which you can learn - so, if you focus on the positives of the challenge, rather than worrying about the negatives, you may find it easier to feel more relaxed and to switch off.

Anon, I think it is unfortunately quite normal but certainly not healthy, especially if you are in a relationship and/or have a family.I strongly endorse what Trinny says above about exercise - I cycle to and from work each day (about an hour each way) and the ride home is hugely important for working out the stress.I think it's also really important to establish clear barriers between your working life and your home life. Make a real effort to turn the BlackBerry off in the evenings, or at least at weekends. If people really need to get hold of you, they'll phone - but it turns out that most things can actually wait until Monday morning. I've also made a conscious decision not to work at home. I'll stay later in the office rather than taking my laptop home with me, and if I really have to work at the weekend, I go into the office. That means that home is a place for relaxing and focusing on family and other non-work things.