Living for the moment seems easy enough, but what if you are feeling hesitant, unhappy, fatigued, or afraid? We all have these feelings, and if they go on without setting controls, they become worry, stress, or depression. Each one of these can cut your life very short or cause a serious health condition.

Unfortunately, I have seen this first-hand when my mother "worried herself to death" at 50 years of age. The day of her funeral, I swore to give up smoking and stop worrying. Well, I did quit smoking, but to quit worrying is an "uphill battle."

Even the toughest people we know worry. Worrying has been a curse to mankind, even in ancient times, but there are better ways to deal with worries at this time. Here are a few ideas to give you relief from worry and to allow you to start enjoying your life right now.

Get self-improvement audio books that make your heart soar. You need to plug yourself into positive information that creates optimism from within your inner being. There are many good self-help audio books to choose from, and you have to listen to positive ideas many times before they are "permanently wired" into your psyche.

There is a growing number of self-hypnosis audio books for anything, subjects vary from topics such as: "quitting smoking" to "goal setting." For obvious reasons, the self-hypnosis audio books are not recommended when driving your car. However, they are a good sleep aid, and you could set one up at bedtime. If you make them into a steady routine, you should feel results within a month.

Be productive each and every possible moment. Write down your goals and go after them. Your goals should be specific and should make you feel positive when you think about them. Wake up every day and go after your goals.

Set realistic deadlines that fit into your lifestyle. If you have responsibilities and commitments, allow time for them, and don't make deadlines into a stressful situation. To get the most out of life, we have to have a full life.

Allow for family time. Nothing is so important that you have to be a stranger to your family. We all need bonding with people we can trust.

Seek advice from a life coach, friend, personal trainer, Yoga teacher, or martial arts teacher. Sometimes we all need a little "pep talk," but only you know when, and how often, you need to boost your morale. This is not a substitute for medical or psychological counseling, but in the case of preventative health, most of us just need someone to gently push us along.

Some of my most successful clients know what to do, but they also need to have it organized into a system that is "user friendly." They have also come to understand that you have to work at your goals every day and accept the minor setbacks in life.

Counseling by a physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist, is an option to consider, and there is nothing wrong with getting "professional help." The family unit is not what it was a generation ago, and people need someone who is qualified to help them. If you need advice from a competent professional, this is a solid option.

Design a plan to help yourself, and stick to it. You can look at this as a starting point.

© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

About the author:

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org