Here are a few guidelines you can use now to help alleviate your anxiety:

• Recognize and admit that you are feeling stressed and anxious.
• Become aware of your bodily symptoms. Don’t let them scare you; let them talk to you.
• Try to pinpoint what you were anxious about. What happened yesterday? What were you thinking about before you went to bed? If you can’t identify it, don’t worry about it and move on.
• Permit yourself to feel anxious about whatever it is that is bothering you. “Of course, I feel uneasy about this problem; anyone would. But how much anxiety is too much?
• If you do know what is bothering you, what can you do to eliminate or minimize the situation so that it isn’t so stressful?
• Importantly, how can you react differently to what is happening so you won’t be so affected by this situation?
• Listen to the dialogue within yourself. Are you filling yourself with negative thoughts about a certain situation? What could you say to yourself that would feel more comforting?
• Are you overwhelming yourself with “shoulds” and high expectations? If so, which ones would you eliminate?
• Are you blaming someone else for your anxieties, unhappiness, poor health, or lack of success? How can you take responsibility for yourself and make some positive changes?
• Give yourself positive reinforcement for even the most minor accomplishments.

From the Yoga perspective, these principles serve as simple coping mechanisms in some ways. Other suggestions may be the beginning of your road to transformation and growth. Stress can be an opportunity that compels us to see beyond our present ways of experiencing things and find new, more creative ways to be. Enjoy the journey as best you can as you move forward!