Book excerpt: Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It raises your energy to help you deal with a tense situation in the office, study hard for an exam, or stay focused on an important speech. In general, it helps you function. However, when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disabling disorder. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Controlling Anxiety, readers will learn to- Understand the difference between what is normal anxiety and what's not. Spot anxiety triggers and boosters. Calm down with yoga and meditation. Make worries work in your favour.