Assess	what’s	coming	up	by	digitally	or	manually	marking	red,	yellow,
and	green	zones	on	your	calendar.	Red	zones	are	those	that	are	more
anxiety	fueled,	green	are	those	where	you	expect	to	be	fairly	at	ease	and
feel	less	internal	pressure,	and	yellow	are	in	the	middle,	where	you
imagine	you	will	feel	neither	very	anxious	nor	very	relaxed.
Take
	
a	step	back	and	look	at	how	much	of	your	month	is	red	and	how
much	is	green.	If	there’s	a	predominance	of	red,	you’re	likely	carrying
too	much	dread	about	your	activities,	which	is	no	way	to	live.	One	of	the
single	best	ways	to	improve	mood	is	to	have	things	to	look	forward	to.
Can	you	reduce	the	red	on	your	calendar	and	increase	the	green?	Even	a
few	eliminations	can	make	a	noticeable	difference.
On	days	or	times	where	you	anticipate	anxious	triggers,	or	see	a	red	zone
on	your	calendar,	write	down	a	strategy	(or	strategies)	that	you	think	will
be	particularly	suited	for	that	specific	trigger.	For	example,	if	it’s	a
dreaded	social	encounter,	you	might	put	on	your	calendar	to	“practice
acceptance,”	or	“practice	being	assertive	in	social	situations.”	Or	if	it’s