It’s not enough for us working mothers, to deal with the kids, cook dinner, and keep a clean home. If we want career advancement we need to work a lot of overtime as well. There is some good advice over at workingmother.com, ” Logging extra hours can increase your chances for illness and injuries by 61 percent, according to a sobering study from the University of Massachusetts. And lots of research shows that working long hours induces fatigue and stress, leading to higher risks of job-related accidents. Overtime can also have a negative effect on productivity and creativity.”

So what’s the solution? The article says, “Take frequent breaks during the day to recharge your creativity. Get up and stretch, go outside for a walk with a funny coworker and sign up for a yoga class. Try not to bring your work home with you and even in these shaky economic times, take off at quittin’ time (as much as possible) for your own well-being.”

Sometimes I like to pretend that I can be all Zen, and I must admit that I enjoy 10-minute meditations and the occasional yoga class. In truth, however, I’m a classic “Type A” personality, and I struggle with anger sometimes. Here are three hard and fast rules that I have given myself to protect the world (and my future) from these moments.

1. Do Not Send E-mail: This seems obvious, but it’s not. We’re so used to being able to type off a quick response to someone that we forget sometimes that e-mail should never, ever be used to express anger or frustration. It is simply not a good tool for such severe emotions. Now, sometimes it can be a helpful form of venting in the heat of the moment to DRAFT an e-mail in Microsoft Word (so that there’s no chance of it being sent), but never, ever send it!

2. Do Not Approach Facebook: In today’s world, it seems as if everyone is jotting down thoughts and activities. “Just got back from Starbucks,” “Waiting for the train,” and “Loving my new haircut!” are all appropriate things to mention on Facebook, Twitter, and the many other social networking sites that we enjoy. Not so appropriate are notes like “I hate you Jimmy!” or “Jane is a b*tch.” When you feel that way, it’s probably better to write it on the bathroom wall than on a social networking site – the consequences will be much worse online.

3. Do Not Blog: Sometimes a blog is a wonderful place to be “real” and let the world know what’s going on in your world. When you are angry though, it might be good to write what you feel in a more physical medium (say, a journal or a Word document) and then sleep on it for 24 hours before posting it online for the world to see. It’s amazing how a little bit of time can make a huge difference in how we see things, and while all feelings are valid in the moment, you might not want to remember them for prosperity.

In short, when anger gets the best of you, perhaps it is best to avoid the computer alltogether. Go outside, take a walk, write the old-fashioned way. After all, most anger is (thankfully) fleeting, and can be replaced by more manageable emotions with some thought and time.