Sometimes, an opportunity will arise for a challenging outing that is not a part of your planned practice program.  It may be a bigger step than you are used to taking in your regular practice, but you may still want to take advantage of these opportunities.  Here are two techniques for converting a big challenge into a more manageable step:

1)     Plan to do a long session of aerobic exercise before the outing.  This can make you feel physically more calm and relaxed, and make the outing easier.  Then, if  practical, repeat the same outing as soon as possible.  This really incorporates the outing into your practice program.

2)  Invent an "out".  Jerilyn Ross, in her book "Triumph Over Fear" says that an "out" is anything that gets you "in".  For example, having a ready-made excuse to shorten a date can make it possible to go on the date in the first place.  Repeating the same outing without having an “out” would be another excellent practice.