Stress can be overwhelming in personal and professional lives, and brings with it potentially disastrous consequences for health, including issues such as headaches, lack of sleep, back pain and cardiovascular issues.

Getting a handle on the stress is more than just taking control of the situations you are surrounded with. You need to understand what is causing your stress, and do your part to remove, reduce or eliminate it from your work or home life.

So what works? Below, eight members of Forbes Coaches Council provide a few stress management strategies for the modern professional, ranging from meditation and other mindfulness techniques to laughing more or focusing on the right questions to ask. Here’s what they suggest trying:

1. Meditate At The Start Of The Day

Meditate, even if only for one minute, before starting your day. And that means no email, coffee, conversations, etc. until you first connect and ground with the most deserving person in your world, yourself. Loving yourself creates greater capacity to love and serve others. – Kelly Weber, The Wander Project

2. Practice Rhythmic Breathing

The best advice I can give is for you to incorporate a process of rhythmic breathing. By breathing you immediately calm your nervous system and gain control over your emotions and thinking. All you need to do is put your feet flat on the floor and sit upright. Next, breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for a count of six, and then breathe out slowly for a count of four. – Abigail K Wenner, Executive Consulting International LLC

3. Understand How Reaction And Response Differ

Clearly understand the difference between reaction and response. “Reacting” to a situation rarely improves the outcome, it merely adds more stress and confusion to a raging fire. It’s impulsive and self-serving at best. “Responding,” on the other hand, redirects the conversation and gives it fresh air. The best leaders I work with diligently practice responding vs. impulsively reacting. – Ali Merchant, alimerchant.com