6 Things Anyone Can Do to Greatly Lower Their Stress Levels
快速减缓压力的六种方法
By Gareth Lloyd
文/加雷思·劳埃德
The feeling is one of sickening familiarity. A tightening in your chest. Beads of sweat spilling off your skin. An aggressive buzzing in your brain that feels like someone has stuffed a disturbed hornets’ nest inside your head. It’s one of the most overwhelming emotions that every single human is forced to contend with almost on a daily basis. Panic, anxiety, and helplessness all violently crammed into one unpleasant little parcel: the sensation of stress.
那感觉是熟悉的,很难受: 胸部发紧,汗珠渗出皮肤,大脑嗡嗡响得厉害,觉得就像有人把捅了的蜂窝塞进了脑袋。这是每个人几乎每天都要被迫与之抗争、又最难以抗拒的情绪之一。惊惧、焦虑、无助,都被疯狂塞进了这个烦人的小包裹:压力感。
No one is exempt or safe from this exhausting emotion. Not even that happy-go-lucky chap you see strolling down the street whistling “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”. Even he will succumb to the overpowering thud of stress from time to time. Whilst it may be of no solace to hear that you’re not the only one who occasionally feels like their head may explode, the fact that everyone has stressful episodes remains a valid point. Stress, whichever way you look at it, is part of the human condition. If there’s one thing humans are good at, it’s finding ways to deal with the issues the body can create, and make life easier for ourselves as a result.
面对这种让人心力交瘁的情绪,无人可以幸免或安然无恙。甚至你眼中那些无忧无虑的人也概莫能外,别看他们悠闲地走在街上,嘴里吹着《乐观生活》的口哨。偶感头痛欲裂不止你一人,也许这不能让你宽心,不过每个人都尝过压力发作的滋味却是不争的事实。无论从哪方面看,压力都是人体状态之一。如果说人在某件事上可以有所作为的话,那就是为身体会出现的问题寻找应对之策,从而让自己活得轻松。
Stress is so common that many people choose to ignore it, knowing it will ease up by the time they hit the hay. Without apposite management, stress can manifest itself into something much more serious. Listed here are 6 proven ways to cope with stress, allowing you to continue living your life in a healthy, happy manner.
许多人对压力司空见惯,以至于选择不予理睬,觉得睡着了自然就轻松了。如果处置不当,压力导致的后果会严重得多。下面列举了六种已经得到验证的应对压力的方法,可以让你健康愉快地生活下去。
1. Breathe
1. 呼吸
The stress-relief technique that pretty much everyone’s heard of, the act of breathing nonetheless remains an important point as any when it comes to cooling down the angry blood that’s raging around your body. Taking a long, deep breath to calm yourself in stressful situations isn’t just one of those old wives’ tales6 that your grandmother used to swear by – it’s medically proven to be beneficial.
说到由怒火中烧转为冷静如常,深呼吸这种减压方法的重要性几乎尽人皆知,其效果依然不亚于任何方法。压力大时深深吸一口气能让自己平静下来,这绝不是奶奶迷信过的无稽之谈——它的裨益医学上已经证明。
Slow, deep breathing distracts the mind from whatever else might be going on, and actively lowers the bubbling blood that’s brought on by stress. What’s more, cortisol – a hormone released in the body in response to stress – is significantly lowered after taking long inhalations of fresh air, allowing your brain and body to return to their normal functions. It may sound strange, but practicing breathing can help you to build up a tolerance towards the impact that stress has on your life. By partaking in yoga sessions, engaging in frequent breathing exercises, and meditating, you can train your body to become one big relaxation machine – counteracting the horrid effects when Mr Stress comes a-calling.
不管眼下发生什么事,缓缓深吸一口气都能转移注意力,有效缓解压力导致的情绪亢奋。 此外,皮质醇是人体为应对压力释放的一种荷尔蒙,其水平在深吸新鲜空气后会显著降低,使身心恢复正常功能。听来可能奇怪,但是呼吸确实有助于增强人应对压力对自身生活影响的耐受力。 学习瑜伽课程,多进行呼吸练习、冥想,就能把自己的身体训练成一台大的放松机器—— 抵消“压力先生”造访的可怕影响。
2. Write
2. 写作
Stress can build up in anyone who is left to their own thoughts for too long. Without a frequent source of release, the mind can become clouded with concern, panic, and extreme frustration. Humans weren’t meant to be left to their own imaginations.
任何人,长时间听任内心杂念摆布,压力便会在体内积聚起来。如果经常不得释放,心灵便会为忧虑、惊恐和极度的挫败感所笼罩。人不应该被自己的杂念控制。
Instead of allowing a bewildering jumble of thoughts and ideas to bump around inside your head, let them tumble out onto your computer keyboard or note-pad instead. Type away at your desk and channel your emotions into your hard-drive. Scribble your feelings onto a piece of paper. They don’t even have to make sense. Just punch away at your computer on a day-to-day basis for five or ten minutes, and you might be surprised at how light, airy and carefree you feel afterwards.
与其任由一堆乱七八糟、莫名其妙的念头在自己脑海中七上八下,不如将其倾注到电脑键盘或笔记本上。伏案码字吧,将情感传输到硬盘上, 将自己的感觉草草写在一页纸上。写的内容甚至不必有什么意义。每天在电脑前敲击五到十分钟,或许你会惊异于自己此后的感觉竟如此轻松愉快、无忧无虑。
3. Walk
3. 散步
One of the most effective techniques for dealing with stress often raises a few eyebrows, but a whole host of scientific evidence exists to suggest that walking is one of the best methods available.
一种降低压力的方法最为奏效,并常让人不以为然, 但大量科学研究表明,散步是最好的降压方式之一。
If you’re ever feeling the tension building up in your brain and body, drop everything and simply go for a stroll. Keep yourself at a nice, leisurely pace, and breathe normally. Walking provides your body with an ideal outlet for the build-up of energy that stress can create, and acts as a sensory distraction for the brain as your mind is forced to take in a plethora of sights, smells, sounds and signals.
如果你感到身心的压力在积聚,就放下一切,干脆散步去。让自己保持优雅、闲适的步伐,呼吸要自然。散步为身体提供了一个理想通道来消弭压力造成的负能集聚。此外,散步时大脑不可避免地要接收大量的景物、气味、声音和信号,这起到了转移感官注意力的作用。
After you try it once, and undoubtedly recognize its benefits, be sure to make exercise a regular thing. Providing the body with a healthy, frequent method of releasing accumulated energy is a great way to help fend off the effects that stress can impose, and ultimately keeps you fit and healthy as a result.
尝试过一次,对其益处确信无疑之后,便应保证定期锻炼。为身体提供一种有益健康的方式来随时释放积聚的压力,这有助于抵御压力的影响,最终会让你保持健康。
4. Laugh
4. 笑
If you’re stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is laughing. But if you are able to muster up even the smallest chuckle during your day, you’ll soon begin to find that the effects of stress slowly slip away.
如果你有压力,很可能最不情愿做的事就是笑了。但是,如果一天中哪怕能微微强笑一次,你很快就会发现压力的影响逐渐消褪了。
When we laugh, the body releases happy hormones called endorphins, which actively counteract the blood-boiling chemicals that are produced when stress hits home9. Laughing allows us to take in a momentous supply of fresh oxygen from the air, stimulating the muscles and providing our system with some healthy shock treatment that eases tension brought on by stress.
笑的时候,身体会释放出叫作内啡肽的快乐荷尔蒙,有效抵抗被压力攫住时产 生的让人热血沸腾的化学物质。笑能让我们从空气中吸入大量新鲜氧气,激发肌肉的活力,为人体提供某种休克治疗, 缓解压力带来的紧张。
If you ever begin to experience that oh-so-familiar feeling amplifying inside you, take a break to flick through some online joke sites, watch some funny YouTube clips, or scroll through some old photos of you and your family/ friends that always cheer you up. Laughing is something we need to do every day to stay healthy, and is great way to keep the nasty effects of stress at bay.
如果察觉到那种熟悉的感觉在体内膨胀,可以休息一下,浏览一下讲笑话的网站,到YouTube 上看几段滑稽视频,或者翻弄一下总能让自己会心一笑的与亲友的合影。笑是我们为保持健康每天都要做的事,是遏制压力的恶劣影响的好方法。
5. Friends
5. 朋友
Surrounding yourself with the people you love can ultimately be half the battle to combating stress. Even the most confident people feel most comfortable when in the company of others that they’ve come to know and love, and whilst going out to meet new guys and girls often has great results in the long-term, it can often be a difficult and mildly stressful experience initially.
与自己所爱的人在一起,就算与压力的战斗成功了一半。甚至最自信的人,有熟识、喜爱的人相伴时,也会感到十分惬意。尽管从长远来说,外出结交新的同性和异性朋友效果往往很好,但是,一开始却常常有困难和轻微压力。
If you ever catch yourself with your chin in your hands and a throb in your head, reach for the phone, ring someone you love, and arrange to do something fun. Even sitting at home with a cup of tea and a friend can really help to relieve high levels of stress as it focuses your mind onto something you love. What’s more, it gives you a perfect outlet to vent some frustration. After all, that’s what friends are for.
一旦意识到自己开始手托下巴,脑袋发胀了,就该拿起电话,给喜欢的人打过去,安排点儿什么有趣的事情做。甚至坐在家里和朋友喝喝茶对缓解压力也很有帮助,因为你在专注于自己喜欢的事情。更重要的是,这给了你一个排解沮丧情绪的完美通道。朋友的作用,不管怎么说,就在于此吧。
6. Sleep
6. 睡觉
More recently in society, the human body has been forced to adapt to being constantly surrounded by moving images. Of course, this wasn’t always the case, and the constant exposure to glowing screens is in fact able to generate stress given how it prevents us from sleeping correctly.
近来在生活中,人体不得不经常适应无处不在的活动影像。当然,以前情况并不总是这样的。实际上这也能够造成压力,因为长时间面对发光屏幕会妨碍我们的正常睡眠。
Basically our lives are balanced by circadian rhythms – a set of strict patterns that the body operates by so that we can eat, sleep, rest, play and function without feeling constantly drained. Ultimately, high exposure to glowing screens disrupts our circadian rhythms, meaning that when it’s time to hit the sack, the body doesn’t necessarily feel ready to shut down.
基本说来,使我们的生活保持平衡的是昼夜节律——一套严格的模式,人体借此得以运转。这样,我们才能够吃饭、睡觉、休息、玩耍、运作,而不觉得筋疲力尽。说到底,过多面对发光屏幕会打乱我们的昼夜节律,就是说, 到了该睡的时候身体却未必乐于安然入睡。
Sleep is absolutely essential for avoiding high stress levels. Everyone needs good amounts of rest, and by remaining glued to a computer screen for the entire day without taking a break, your body will suffer the consequences, and stress will rise as a result. Take frequent breaks away from the screen, get some sleep, and see your stress ease up.
睡眠对于规避高压力绝对必要。人人都需要充分的休息。盯着电脑屏幕一整天不休息,身体就会受到影响,结果就是压力增大。时常离开屏幕休息一下,睡会儿觉,就能使压力得到缓解。