英语沙龙合集十九

19. Managing Your Stress

Put problems in perspective1

Sometimes we worry about things that never happen. In reviewing the problems causing you stress, think about the advice you would give a friend in the same situation. How important is the situation in the course of 2 your life? In a year? In a week? Decide what is worth struggling for and let go of unimportant

hassles3.Research has shown that the act of writing about an event has helped individuals cope with trauma4 or stressful times. Writing for some people can be therapeutic5 and may help put problems in perspective.You may want to keep a personal journal6 where you can express your deepest thoughts and feelings. You do not have to write well. Just try to let your thoughts and feelings flow uninhibited7, without judgement.

Keep a positive attitude

If you are someone who tends to focus on the negative, thinking positively may be a new skill for you. One way to keep a positive attitude about yourself is by writing down and saying several affirmations8.Affirmations are strong, supportive statements about yourself such as “ I am a confident and capable person who can handle challenges.” It's hard to feel defeated when your self-talk is positive.Another technique for reducing stress is positive visualization9. When confronted with a problem, try to visualize the outcome that you want.This technique is used by sport professionals with tremendous success. You too can champion10 your cause by mentally11 picturing positive results.Sometimes people are faced with unfortunate circumstances that can not be changed. In these instances, it may help to think about some of the assets and resources that you have that can support you and help you cope(e.g.family, friends, skills, education, money, good health).

正确地看问题

有时候，我们担心的事情从未发生过。在思考导致你感到紧张压力的问题时，不妨想想在相同情况下，你会给朋友什么样的劝告？这种情况在你的一生中、一年中、一周中到底有多么重要？然后决定什么是值得你拼搏的，那些不甚重要的烦扰就别去管了。研究表明，对一个事件的描写有助于人们度过身心受到伤害或感到紧张的情景。对于一些人来说写作可起到治疗作用，有助于正确看待问题。你可以用日记来表达自己内心深处的想法和感受，你不必非得写好，只是让你的思想和情感不受任何阻碍地涌出，不加任何评判！

持积极的态度

如果你是一位看待事物较为消极的人，那么采取积极的态度对你来说就会是一种新的技能。使你自己持积极态度的一种方法是：写下来并说出几句肯定自己的话。你要坚定地鼓励自己，比如：“我是一个有信心、有能力的人，我能够应付挑战。”当你的自言自语是积极向上的时候，你就很难有被击败的情绪。另一种减轻压力的技巧是拥有积极的想象力。当面临一个问题时，试图去想象你想要的结果。这种技巧是职业运动员经常使用的，而且是非常成功的。你也可以想象积极的结果，以取得事业的成功。有时候，人们会面临无法改变的不幸。在这种情况下，有助于你的做法可以是：想一想你所拥有的能支持并有助于你克服困难的财富和资源（例如：家庭、朋友、技能、教育、钱财、好的身体）。

1.inperspective[ ]观察合理地

2.inthecourseof在…期间，在…过程中

3.hassle[ ]n.[美口]问题，麻烦

4.trauma[ ]n.(心理上、精神上的)创伤

5.therapeutic[ ]adj.治疗的

6.journal[ ]n.日记

7.uninhibited[ ]]adj.无拘无束的，任意的

8.affirmation[ ]n.断言，肯定

9.visualization[ ]n.想象力

10.champion[ ]vt.支持

11.mentally[ ]adv.在心里

17 Managing Your Stress

There are two ways to combat1 stress--mentally and physically.Medical science has learned that the mind and body are interrelated2, meaning that your mental

well-being3 affects your physical state and vice versa4.As you learned previously5,the negative reaction to stress may appear in physical symptoms such as a headache, tense muscles,or upset stomach.Conversely6,your physical state may be causing your

stress.It is important to take care of both your mental and physical well-being in order to cope with stress.

Some techniques for managing stress are offered in the following sections.

1.Change what you can, accept what you cannot change

A major part of managing stress, is to recognize those situations you can change, and to learn to accept those you can't change. When you can separate those situations that you have control over from those you don't, then you will know when to take action7 and when to “ let go8” of problems you can not resolve.

For example, if a cluttered9 house is bothering you, you can take action to clean it. You can schedule a weekend to discard10 some things that perhaps you don't actually need. That is a situation that you can change. If, however, you do not like a particular class that you have this semester, you might need to employ11 some

techniques for coping with the stressful situation until the semester finishes. In this case, you accept the challenge and you learn ways to deal with it.

Often, pressures from outside sources can cause stress. We have two options: we can either change the demands on us or change the way we perceive12 and react to the demands. Sometimes we have to acknowledge13 that the demands are unreasonable14. Then, we either accept them or work to change the demands.

For example, let's say a teacher gives you an assignment15 with a deadline16. Given your other obligations17, you initially18 perceive that the task is unreasonable; you think you need more time to complete the assignment. You have two possible choices. You can try to change the demand (e.g. ask the teacher for an extension19), or you can accept the situation by changing your perception of it (e.g. by thinking that the assignment is doable20).

In the latter case, you may need to re-evaluate and change your other obligations. By recognizing that you have a choice--to either change the demands on you or change your perception and reaction to the demands--you will feel that you are in control.

As you read through your list of stressors, identify one or two things in your life that you can change easily and that will make a difference to you.Take action on those

couple of things that will have the biggest positive impact on your life with the least amount of effort.Resolving even a couple of things in your life may bring much relief. Also recognize the stressful situations that you cannot alter at this time. Later in the sections you will be presented21 with techniques to help you cope with those stressors.(To be continued)

设法对付人的重压感〔二〕

战胜重压感有两种方法:一是精神上战胜它,二是从身体上战胜它。医学研究表明，人的心身是相互关连的，也就是说你的心理健康影响着你的身体状况，反之亦然。正如你已知道的，对重压的消极反应可能使身体出现患病症状，如头疼、肌肉发紧或者胃功能紊乱。反之，你的身体状况也会引起你精神压抑。所以对付重压感保持身心健康是相当重要的。

下文中给你介绍一些对付重压感的技巧。

1．改变你所能改变的，接受你所不能改变的。

设法对付紧张压力的最重要部分是：弄清楚哪些情形是你能改变的，学会去接受那些你无法改变的情形。当你区分了哪些情形是你能控制的，哪些情形是你无法控制的，那你就知道何时应采取行动，何时应不去理睬那些你解决不了的问题。

例如：房子里很乱，这让你烦心，你可以采取行动去收拾它。你可以安排一个周末把那些你实际已不再需要的东西扔掉。这是一种你能够改变的情形。然而，如果你不喜欢本学期你所上的某一门课，你便需要采用一些技巧来对付这种令你产生重压感的情形，直到学期结束。在这种情形下，你接受挑战，并且学会处理这种情形的方法。

来自外界的压力时常会导致重压感。我们有两个选择：我们或者改变对自己的要求，或者改变对压力的自我感知和反应。有时候，我们必须得承认：我们对自己的某些要求是不合理的。于是，我们要么接受它们，要么努力去改变这些要求。

例如：一位老师布置一项作业，并规定了完成日期。由于你还有其他要做的作业，你开始觉得这项作业不合理；你觉得需要更多的时间来完成。此时，你有两种可能的选择：你可以试图去改变这个要求（如让老师延长点期限），或者你可以接受这种情况，改变你对这件事情的感知（如想想这项作业还是能完成的）。 在后一种情况下，你或许需要去重新估计和改变你的其他作业安排。通过认识到在压力面前你是有选择的——要么改变对自己的要求，要么改变对要求的自我感知或反应——你就会觉得你是有控制力的。

当你通读自己列出的紧张压力一览表时，找出生活中一两种你能够较容易改变、并且能对你产生影响的情形。就这一两种情形采取行动，这样你就会用最少的努力获得最大的积极作用。即使解决你生活中的一两个问题，也会使你轻松许多。

与此同时，还要认识到有些压力是你眼下无法改变的。如何对付这些压力下期将会谈到。(待续)

1.combat[ ]vt.与…战斗，与…斗争

2.interrelated[ ]adj.相互联系的，相互关联的

3.well-being[ ]n.康乐，安康

4.viceversa[ ]反过来也一样，反之亦然

5.previously[ ]adv.以前地，先前地

6.conversely[ ]adv.相反地

7.takeaction采取行动

8.letgo对…不予考虑，对…不予理会

9.clutter[ ]vt.使凌乱，使杂乱

10.discard[ ]vt.丢弃，抛弃

11.employ[ ]vt.使用，利用

12.perceive[ ]vt.感知，感觉

13.acknowledge[ ]vt.承认

14.unreasonable[ ]adj.无理的

15.assignment[ ]n.(指定的)作业

16.deadline[ ]n.最后期限

17.obligation[ ]n.义务，责任