釋放焦慮，感受平靜與自由的6個小貼士

“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.” ——Thich Nhat Hanh

“我願放手所有的憂愁與焦慮，只求身心輕鬆自在。”—— 一行禪師

 都說“人無遠慮，必有近憂”，可見，焦慮已成一種常態。那麼我們又該如何應對這種情緒呢？非常巧的是，第10期“脫口秀大會”剛好也討論了焦慮這個話題。其中有句話小編覺得說的很對，“對抗焦慮最好的藥就是馬上開始行動！”那麼今天就讓我們跟隨“tinybuddha”網站的一位外籍作者Andrei-Corovei一起感受一下他在焦慮下的生活，他的經歷中是不是有你的影子呢？  “很長一段時間我一直在與焦慮做鬥爭。有時候，我甚至會在大多數人覺得很安全的情況下，也萌生出一種恐懼感。 我記得第一個階段是我的童年時期，因爲我不想去幼兒園，我居然害怕到從家裏一路哭到幼兒園，儘管我並沒有什麼理由可以值得哭泣的。 長大後，我學會了做我擅長的事情來掩蓋這種焦慮。在高中期間，我發現自己喜歡電腦，在這方面我找到了自信和安全感，因爲我知道自己可以在這個領域取得一些成果。 到上大學的時候，我決定學習計算機科學。我想盡可能多地設計應用程序。但我很快發現學校並非這麼一回事；我面對的是超長課時的數學課和物理課，而這些課程與我的夢想一點關係也沒有。 大學第二年，我的焦慮開始反彈(strike back）。我感到疲憊不堪，覺得自己做的一切都毫無價值。 在恐懼中度過了幾個月，我終於決定對此做一些事情：我嘗試 （took a shot）進入當地的一家軟件公司。雖然有很多困難，但我仍願意克服它們，因爲我感覺到自己彷彿再次回到了正確的軌道上(was on the right track）。 第二個階段則是在大學的第四年也是最後一年，當時我開始覺得自己在一個地方停滯不前了（stuck in one place）。 工作中分配給我的任務都非常相似，漸漸地，我開始感到無聊了。但是，在這種無聊的感覺背後，我的焦慮再次滋生起來。沮喪感也伴隨着這種焦慮不約而至，因爲我認爲我不能改變自己的工作現狀。 當我終於決定要行動起來時，我發現邁出這一步對我來說實在是太難了。這麼多年以來，我的身體一直承受着我給自己施加的巨大壓力。 雖然我的新同事們都很友善，但是我還是不能擺脫這種焦慮感。三個星期後，我決定給自己放個長假，好好規劃規劃自己的未來。 當時我不知道的是，其實不論我去哪兒，焦慮都會如影隨形。 我需要一種全新的方式（a brand new way）來應對它，所以我決定以一種更健康的心態（a healthier mindset）以求永遠地（once and for all）突破這種情緒。 以下是一些幫助我消除焦慮的途徑和選擇，以及我是如何將它們付諸實踐的過程。造成焦慮的原因可能有很多，但或許我的經驗對你也會有些幫助： 1. Remember that good enough is the new perfect.
1. 記住“還可以”也是另一種“完美”。 

I have always tried to be the best in everything I’ve done, and this has led to a huge amount of anger and stress. I decided that it was okay to let go from time to time. I didn’t have to get nervous for every exam; I didn’t have to win all the time. It was okay just to play the game.

我一直都盡力將事事做到最好，但這也帶來了許多的苦惱和壓力。於是我決定偶爾也可以嘗試着放手。我沒有必要爲了每次考試而緊張，我也不是每次都得獲得勝利。我也可以僅僅享受玩遊戲這個過程。

 

Doing this, I also managed to develop better friendships and relationships. I discovered that my “I want to win everything” attitude was placing everyone on an enemy position.

做到這一點的同時，我還促進了友誼和關係的良好發展。因爲我發現我之前“事事爭贏”的態度將身邊每個人都置於敵對的立場。

 

When you focus less on being the best, you release the pressure you’ve put on yourself.

當你不再執着於“自己一定要成爲最好的”，你就釋放了本強加於自己身上的壓力。

 2. Stop multitasking.
2. 不要同時進行多項任務 

Although this may not seem to have anything to do with anxiety, it’s related. I used to do a lot of things at the same time: work, check my phone, answer emails, make small talk with somebody, and so on.

雖然這聽起來可能與焦慮沒有任何聯繫，但它們確實相關。我過去常常同時做很多事情：工作，查看手機，回覆電子郵件，與別人閒聊等等。

 

These interruptions made me lose track of where I was standing, and those times when you feel lost are a great place for anxiety to settle in.

這些細枝末節的小事總是干擾我，讓我忘記我在忙些什麼，而在那些感到迷茫的瞬間，焦慮就會趁虛而入。

 

Focus on one thing at a time and be mindful in that one activity, and you’ll naturally feel less anxious.

一次只將重點放在一件事上，並時刻關注着這個項目，那麼你自然就感覺不那麼焦慮了。

 3. Stop avoiding things that you don’t like.
3. 不要逃避自己不喜歡的事情 

I was always afraid of going to crowded places, such as supermarkets and malls. I’d tell myself, “This time it's okay not to go. Next time you’ll feel more confident.”

我總是害怕去擁擠的地方，比如超市和商場。我還總是安慰自己，“這一次可以先不去。下次我肯定會更有信心能走進去的。”

 

But that never happened. The next time I had to face the situation, my body knew that the previous time, I had let fear win. So instead of dealing with the feelings in one situation, I had to deal with feelings from two.

但是這從來沒有發生過。下一次當我不得不面對這種情況時，我的本能告訴我上一次恐懼戰勝了我。所以我不得不處理前後兩次情況中產生的情緒，而不是當下的焦慮感。

 

Now, instead of avoiding things, I always say to myself when I am scared: “This is the best time to face my fear! Bring it on!”

現在，我不再逃避了，每次當我感到害怕時，我總是對自己說：“現在是面對恐懼的最佳時機!來吧！”

 

Don’t hide from the unavoidable situations that make you anxious; little by little, condition yourself to work through your feelings.

不要逃離那些讓你焦慮，但是卻不可避免的情況; 一點一點地，讓自己慢慢克服、適應這些感受。

 4. Find a passion that calms you.
4. 找到能讓你平靜下來的興趣愛好。 

I noticed that in periods of great stress I seemed to have nothing to enjoy. Friends were telling me to take a day off or do something I like, but I was having a hard time finding things I liked.

我注意到，在壓力很大的時候，我似乎不能享受任何事情。朋友們告訴我應該休息一天或者去做一些我喜歡的事情，但是我很難找到自己喜歡的東西。

 

During these days I’d sit in by bed, turning from one side to another, and then return to work more tired than I was when I left.

最近幾天我總是坐在牀沿，從一邊轉到另一邊，可是回去工作時總覺得比剛離開那會兒還累。

 

One day I remembered that, as a kid, I had a dream of running every morning before everybody woke up.

有一天我突然記得，我還小的時候，曾經夢見自己每天清晨都在其他人醒來之前去跑步。

 

After a month of daily runs I can say that I feel awesome. Whenever I feel anxious I picture myself running, take a few deep breaths, and I calm myself down instantly.

經過一個月的晨跑，我可以說這感覺棒極了。每當我感到焦慮的時候，我就想象自己跑步的畫面，深吸幾口氣，很快我就能冷靜下來。

 5. Focus on the things that you can control.
5. 專注在你可以控制的事物上。 

In the past, I often complained about not feeling well. I was convinced that I was ill, even though I had lots of medical tests all stating that I was healthy. The symptoms that I encountered were dizziness, lightheadedness, and tensions all over my body.

過去我經常抱怨自己身體不舒服。我確信自己肯定生病了，儘管我做了很多醫學檢查，結果都表示我很健康。我的症狀是頭暈，眼花，還有全身緊張。

 

As frightening as these were at the time, I realized that it was my obsession with control that was causing them. I was always asking myself: “Am I feeling well?“

和這些令人恐懼的東西一樣，當時我意識到這可能是由於我熱衷於控制一切而引起的。我總是不停地問自己：“我身體舒服嗎？”

 

In worrying about the symptom, it became real.

在擔心這些症狀的同時，它們也就真的出現了。

 

I’ve learned that I cannot control my body. I can only control my thoughts—but my thoughts directly influence how I feel physically. Now and then when I feel dizzy, I take a moment to ask myself, “Am I causing this by worrying?”

我現在知道我無法控制自己的身體了。我只能控制自己的想法——但我的想法會直接影響我的身體感覺。現在，當我感到頭昏眼花時，我會花點時間問自己：“是不是我的擔心才導致的頭暈呢？”

 6. See anxiety as an opportunity.
6.將焦慮視爲機會。 

In retrospect, I see that anxiety was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was when I felt anxious that I knew that I had to make changes—with my approach to my work, my passions, and my mindset.

回想起來，我覺得焦慮可能是我遇到過的最好的事情。當我感到焦慮的時候，我就知道我必須得改變了——或許是我的工作方法，我的愛好或我的心態。

 

Anxiety goes away only when we learn what it’s teaching us. That is when we can move on.“

只有當我們學會焦慮教會了我們什麼，焦慮纔會消失。那時我們也就可以繼續前進了。”

 現在的你是不是也正處於焦慮中呢？ 另外，貼心的小編還給各位壓力大的看官整理了十首治癒焦慮(soothe your anxiety)的音樂，下次焦慮的時候，不妨put on some music~ 
1. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," The Ukulele Boys
2. "Don't Panic," Coldplay
3. "Fade Into You," Mazzy Star
4. "Let's Be Still," The Head and the Heart
5. "Your Hand in Mine," Explosions in the Sky
6. "Holocene," Bon Iver
7. "Nude," Radiohead
8. "Don't Be Scared," Andrew Bird
9. "A Change Is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke
10. "Slow It Down," The Lumineers （本文首發於滬江商務英語公衆號，掃碼關注，即可獲取更多商務英語資訊。轉載請“滬江商務英語”後臺聯繫！）