How to cope with a hangover at the office businessmen alcoholism TIS the season to celebrate, but the morning after can lead to some very un-merry workdays. So how to avoid morning-after malaise when you're due for a client meeting at 8am? First of all, don't try going shot-for-shot with your sales team or your crazy uncle the night before. But if the damage is already done, here are some hangover survival tips from the pros. Check yourself (before you wreck yourself) If you wake up with a pounding head and churning stomach, "You've got to suck it up," says Roy Cohen, an executive coach and author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide. Most bosses would say that they'd rather their employees show up than sleep it off. But if you're quite possibly still drunk from the night before - or so sick that you'll be locked in the office bathroom all day - reporting to work might harm your professional reputation. "If you have client contact that day, you look like a mess or you might exercise poor judgment, [then] you might be jeopardising your job," says Cohen. You have to ask yourself, 'Where is the greater risk?' Get moving It might feel like it would take an act of God just to drag your body out of bed and into the shower, but if you can muster the strength for some light exercise before work, it's a great way to beat the post-bar blues. "It may not be what you feel like doing, but you will feel better if you get your body moving," says fitness expert Mira Calton. As you move, oxygen will be delivered to your cells, and this will increase the rate of detoxification. Go for the green, not the grease Urban myth posits the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich as the ultimate morning-after meal, but rich, heavy foods can do more harm than good - especially when you've got a full workday ahead of you. "That combination of processed carbs and fat is hard for the body to digest, and will leave you sluggish even if you aren't hung over," cautions Liz Barnet, a fitness and food coach who lives and works in the Financial District. Instead, go for simple, gentle-on-the-belly foods like toast, soup or Barnet's preferred remedy, a green juice. Lay low Even if you've overcome the physical symptoms after a midweek rager, chances are the psychological side effects - like mental fogginess, anxiety and irritability - will linger over your cubicle like a dark cloud. In other words: "It's not a day for a major decision," says Susan Heathfield, about.com's HR expert. You want to do easy, routine tasks when possible, and try to avoid clients and co-workers. You want to stay out of conflicts. Don't broadcast your battle Unless your entire team is suffering through Patrón-induced agony en masse, it's wise to hide your post-party pain from your colleagues and supervisors. "There's nothing positive, professionally, about allowing people to know," says Heathfield. Say [that] you're coming down with something [or that] you didn't sleep well - anything but that you're hung over. Grab some R&R At the Flatiron District offices of the event-planning firm Host Committee, employees have access to what co-founder Yvonne Najor calls its "Zen Buddha Room" - a dimly lit space filled with cozy beanbag chairs. But in the likely chance your office isn't equipped with its own dedicated recovery site, you can always improvise. Try grabbing a nap in the storage closet, a few quiet moments in the bathroom or a few deep breaths at your desk. Wellness coach Jenny Giblin recommends this simple breathing technique: Inhale for four seconds, making sure your stomach extends out like a balloon, then exhale for eight seconds. Repeat. "It's clinically proven to remedy dizziness and nausea and boost your energy," she says. Continue throughout the day, and you will feel better.