“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.” ——Thich Nhat Hanh
“我愿放手所有的忧愁与焦虑，只求身心轻松自在。”—— 一行禅师
 
都说“人无远虑，必有近忧”，可见，焦虑已成一种常态。那么我们又该如何应对这种情绪呢？非常巧的是，第10期“脱口秀大会”刚好也讨论了焦虑这个话题。其中有句话小编觉得说的很对，“对抗焦虑最好的药就是马上开始行动！”那么今天就让我们跟随“tinybuddha”网站的一位外籍作者Andrei-Corovei一起感受一下他在焦虑下的生活，他的经历中是不是有你的影子呢？
 
 
“很长一段时间我一直在与焦虑做斗争。有时候，我甚至会在大多数人觉得很安全的情况下，也萌生出一种恐惧感。
 
我记得第一个阶段是我的童年时期，因为我不想去幼儿园，我居然害怕到从家里一路哭到幼儿园，尽管我并没有什么理由可以值得哭泣的。
 
长大后，我学会了做我擅长的事情来掩盖这种焦虑。在高中期间，我发现自己喜欢电脑，在这方面我找到了自信和安全感，因为我知道自己可以在这个领域取得一些成果。
 
到上大学的时候，我决定学习计算机科学。我想尽可能多地设计应用程序。但我很快发现学校并非这么一回事；我面对的是超长课时的数学课和物理课，而这些课程与我的梦想一点关系也没有。
 
大学第二年，我的焦虑开始反弹(strike back）。我感到疲惫不堪，觉得自己做的一切都毫无价值。
 
在恐惧中度过了几个月，我终于决定对此做一些事情：我尝试 （took a shot）进入当地的一家软件公司。虽然有很多困难，但我仍愿意克服它们，因为我感觉到自己仿佛再次回到了正确的轨道上(was on the right track）。
 
第二个阶段则是在大学的第四年也是最后一年，当时我开始觉得自己在一个地方停滞不前了（stuck in one place）。
 
工作中分配给我的任务都非常相似，渐渐地，我开始感到无聊了。但是，在这种无聊的感觉背后，我的焦虑再次滋生起来。沮丧感也伴随着这种焦虑不约而至，因为我认为我不能改变自己的工作现状。
 
当我终于决定要行动起来时，我发现迈出这一步对我来说实在是太难了。这么多年以来，我的身体一直承受着我给自己施加的巨大压力。
 
虽然我的新同事们都很友善，但是我还是不能摆脱这种焦虑感。三个星期后，我决定给自己放个长假，好好规划规划自己的未来。
 
当时我不知道的是，其实不论我去哪儿，焦虑都会如影随形。
 
我需要一种全新的方式（a brand new way）来应对它，所以我决定以一种更健康的心态（a healthier mindset）以求永远地（once and for all）突破这种情绪。
 
以下是一些帮助我消除焦虑的途径和选择，以及我是如何将它们付诸实践的过程。造成焦虑的原因可能有很多，但或许我的经验对你也会有些帮助：
 
1. Remember that good enough is the new perfect.
1. 记住“还可以”也是另一种“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.
我一直都尽力将事事做到最好，但这也带来了许多的苦恼和压力。于是我决定偶尔也可以尝试着放手。我没有必要为了每次考试而紧张，我也不是每次都得获得胜利。我也可以仅仅享受玩游戏这个过程。
 
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.
做到这一点的同时，我还促进了友谊和关系的良好发展。因为我发现我之前“事事争赢”的态度将身边每个人都置于敌对的立场。
 
When you focus less on being the best, you release the pressure you’ve put on yourself.
当你不再执着于“自己一定要成为最好的”，你就释放了本强加于自己身上的压力。
 
2. Stop multitasking.
2. 不要同时进行多项任务
 
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.
虽然这听起来可能与焦虑没有任何联系，但它们确实相关。我过去常常同时做很多事情：工作，查看手机，回复电子邮件，与别人闲聊等等。
 
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.
这些细枝末节的小事总是干扰我，让我忘记我在忙些什么，而在那些感到迷茫的瞬间，焦虑就会趁虚而入。
 
Focus on one thing at a time and be mindful in that one activity, and you’ll naturally feel less anxious.
一次只将重点放在一件事上，并时刻关注着这个项目，那么你自然就感觉不那么焦虑了。
 
3. Stop avoiding things that you don’t like.
3. 不要逃避自己不喜欢的事情
 
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.”
我总是害怕去拥挤的地方，比如超市和商场。我还总是安慰自己，“这一次可以先不去。下次我肯定会更有信心能走进去的。”
 
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.
但是这从来没有发生过。下一次当我不得不面对这种情况时，我的本能告诉我上一次恐惧战胜了我。所以我不得不处理前后两次情况中产生的情绪，而不是当下的焦虑感。
 
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!”
现在，我不再逃避了，每次当我感到害怕时，我总是对自己说：“现在是面对恐惧的最佳时机!来吧！”
 
Don’t hide from the unavoidable situations that make you anxious; little by little, condition yourself to work through your feelings.
不要逃离那些让你焦虑，但是却不可避免的情况; 一点一点地，让自己慢慢克服、适应这些感受。
 
4. Find a passion that calms you.
4. 找到能让你平静下来的兴趣爱好。
 
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，在压力很大的时候，我似乎不能享受任何事情。朋友们告诉我应该休息一天或者去做一些我喜欢的事情，但是我很难找到自己喜欢的东西。
 
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.
最近几天我总是坐在床沿，从一边转到另一边，可是回去工作时总觉得比刚离开那会儿还累。
 
One day I remembered that, as a kid, I had a dream of running every morning before everybody woke up.
有一天我突然记得，我还小的时候，曾经梦见自己每天清晨都在其他人醒来之前去跑步。
 
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.
经过一个月的晨跑，我可以说这感觉棒极了。每当我感到焦虑的时候，我就想象自己跑步的画面，深吸几口气，很快我就能冷静下来。
 
5. Focus on the things that you can control.
5. 专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.
过去我经常抱怨自己身体不舒服。我确信自己肯定生病了，尽管我做了很多医学检查，结果都表示我很健康。我的症状是头晕，眼花，还有全身紧张。
 
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?“
和这些令人恐惧的东西一样，当时我意识到这可能是由于我热衷于控制一切而引起的。我总是不停地问自己：“我身体舒服吗？”
 
In worrying about the symptom, it became real.
在担心这些症状的同时，它们也就真的出现了。
 
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?”
我现在知道我无法控制自己的身体了。我只能控制自己的想法——但我的想法会直接影响我的身体感觉。现在，当我感到头昏眼花时，我会花点时间问自己：“是不是我的担心才导致的头晕呢？”
 
6. See anxiety as an opportunity.
6.将焦虑视为机会。
 
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.
回想起来，我觉得焦虑可能是我遇到过的最好的事情。当我感到焦虑的时候，我就知道我必须得改变了——或许是我的工作方法，我的爱好或我的心态。
 
Anxiety goes away only when we learn what it’s teaching us. That is when we can move on.“
只有当我们学会焦虑教会了我们什么，焦虑才会消失。那时我们也就可以继续前进了。”
 
现在的你是不是也正处于焦虑中呢？
 
另外，贴心的小编还给各位压力大的看官整理了十首治愈焦虑(soothe your anxiety)的音乐，下次焦虑的时候，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
 
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