When Calamities Are Real

當(dāng)災(zāi)難觸手可及

　　Of course, there are often good reasons for anxiety. Certainly, people who lost their homes and life's treasures - and sometimes loved ones - in Hurricane Sandy can hardly be faulted for worrying about their futures.

　　當(dāng)然，人們心煩意亂往往是事出有因的。如果有人在“颶風(fēng)桑迪”中痛失家園或者心愛的物品——有時(shí)，則是心愛的人——為前途憂心，恐怕也無可指摘。

　　But for some people, anxiety is a way of life, chronic and life-crippling, constantly leaving them awash in fears that prevent them from making moves that could enrich their lives.

　　但對一些人來說，焦慮成了他們的生活方式，它在持續(xù)地嚙咬著他們的生命，令他們不斷被恐懼沖刷，無法往前邁一步，做能令自己的生活更加充實(shí)的事情。<紐約時(shí)報(bào)中英文網(wǎng) http://www.qqenglish.com/>

　　In an interview, Dr. Chansky said that when real calamities occur, "you will be in much better shape to cope with them if you don't entertain extraneous catastrophes."

　　在采訪中，錢斯基醫(yī)生說，當(dāng)真實(shí)的災(zāi)難發(fā)生時(shí)，“如果你不去考慮那些外在的災(zāi)禍，處理問題時(shí)會更加自如�！�

　　By "extraneous," she means the many stresses that pile up in the course of daily living that don't really deserve so much of our emotional capital - the worrying and fretting we spend on things that won't change or simply don't matter much.

　　所謂“外在”的災(zāi)禍，指的是在我們?nèi)粘Ｉ�活中堆積起來的壓力，這些壓力本來并不需要我們投入如此巨大的心力——為了那些根本不可能改變或者不值一提的事情，我們畏首畏尾，瞻前顧后。

　　"If you worry about everything, it will get in the way of what you really need to address," she explained. "The best decisions are not made when your mind is spinning out of control, racing ahead with predictions about how things are never going to get any better. Precious energy is wasted when you're always thinking about the worst-case scenarios."

　　她解釋說：“如果什么事情你都要擔(dān)心，等到你面對真正需要關(guān)注的事情時(shí)，就會被迎頭攔住。在你的思緒如脫韁野馬，料想事情一定會壞在自己手上時(shí)，你就根本做不出最佳的決定。如果你總是擔(dān)心最壞的可能性，那么寶貴的精力就被白白浪費(fèi)了。”

　　When faced with serious challenges, it helps to narrow them down to specific things you can do now. To my mind, Dr. Chansky's most valuable suggestion for emerging from paralyzing anxiety when faced with a monumental task is to "stay in the present - it doesn't help to be in the future.

　　在面對難題時(shí)，如果你著手將它細(xì)化成一個(gè)個(gè)現(xiàn)在就能做的事情，會好辦很多。在我看來，面對艱巨的任務(wù)如何能從令人麻木的焦慮中走出來，錢斯基醫(yī)生給出的一個(gè)最有用的建議是：要“活在當(dāng)下——想象未來一點(diǎn)用也沒有�！�

　　"Take some small step today, and value each step you take. You never know which step will make a difference. This is much better than not trying to do anything."

　　“今天先往前走幾小步，并且要珍惜你走的每一步。你并不知道究竟是哪一步起到了關(guān)鍵的作用。這總比什么都不做要好多了。”

　　Dr. Chansky told me, "If you're worrying about your work all the time, you won't get your work done." She suggested instead that people "compartmentalize." Those prone to worry should set aside a little time each day simply to fret, she said - and then put aside anxieties and spend the rest of the time getting things done. This advice could not have come at a better time for me, as I faced holiday chores, two trips in December, and five columns to write before leaving mid-month. Rather than focusing on what seemed like an impossible challenge, I took on one task at a time. Somehow it all got done.

　　錢斯基博士對我說：“假如你總是擔(dān)心自己的工作，那工作就不可能完成了�！迸c其這樣，不如進(jìn)行“切割”。她說，那些容易發(fā)愁的人應(yīng)當(dāng)每天拿出一點(diǎn)時(shí)間，專心發(fā)自己的愁——然后就要把焦慮擺在一邊，用剩下的時(shí)間專心做事。對我來說，她的這個(gè)建議時(shí)機(jī)剛剛好，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在我正在面對假期的種種混亂，12月份我要出兩次門，在月中外出前要寫出五篇專欄。與其擔(dān)心這個(gè)恐怖的挑戰(zhàn)，我還不如每次完成一個(gè)任務(wù)。不知怎的，我就把這些事情統(tǒng)統(tǒng)辦妥了。

　　Possible Thinking

　　可能的思路

　　Many worriers think the solution is positive thinking. Dr. Chansky recommends something else: think "possible."

　　很多愛操心的人認(rèn)為，解決之道是想法要積極樂觀。而錢斯基醫(yī)生推薦了另一種思路：思考“可能”的方案。

　　"When we are stuck with negative thinking, we feel out of options, so to exit out of that we need to be reminded of all the options we do have," she writes in her book.

　　“當(dāng)我們陷入消極思維中時(shí)，會覺得毫無他法，所以我們需要提醒自己，面前仍有各種選擇，”在書中錢斯基這樣寫道。

　　If this is not something you can do easily on your own, consult others for suggestions. During my morning walk with friends, we often discuss problems, and inevitably someone comes up with a practical solution. But even if none of their suggestions work, at least they narrow down possible courses of action and make the problem seem less forbidding. "If other people are not caught in the spin that you're in, they may have ideas for you that you wouldn't think of," Dr. Chansky said. "We often do this about small things, but when something big is going on, we hesitate to ask for advice. Yet that's when we need it most."

　　如果你沒法靠自己輕易完成某件事，可以尋求別人的建議。在我清晨和朋友們一起健走時(shí)，我們常常討論各種問題，最終總會有人提出可行的解決辦法。而且就算朋友的建議不起作用，起碼它能讓你少走彎路，也會讓問題看起來沒那么令人生畏。錢斯基醫(yī)生說：“假如旁人沒有被卷進(jìn)你身入的漩渦，他們也許能想到你不可能想到的主意。在碰到小事情時(shí)我們常常這么去做，但在發(fā)生重大的問題時(shí)，我們卻猶豫不決，不知是否該問別人的建議，而這恰恰是我們最需要外界建議的時(shí)候。”

　　Dr. Chansky calls this "a community cleanup effort," and it can bring more than advice. During an especially challenging time, like dealing with a spouse's serious illness or loss of one's home, friends and family members can help with practical matters like shopping for groceries, providing meals, cleaning out the refrigerator or paying bills.

　　錢斯基醫(yī)生稱此為“社群善后工作”，而它能做的還不僅僅是提供建議。在身處艱難時(shí)期，比如伴侶患重病或失去家園時(shí)，親友可以幫忙做些實(shí)用的事情，比如買日用品、做飯、清理冰箱或者支付賬單。

　　"People want to help others in need - it's how the world goes around," she said. Witness the many thousands of volunteers, including students from other states on their Thanksgiving break, who prepared food and delivered clothing and equipment to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Even the smallest favor can help buffer stress and enable people to focus productively on what they can do to improve their situation.

　　“大家樂于幫助有需要的人——這就是這個(gè)社會運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的方式，”她說。桑迪颶風(fēng)過后，我看到成千上萬的志愿者，包括很多正在休感恩節(jié)假、從別的州趕來的學(xué)生，為災(zāi)民準(zhǔn)備食物，運(yùn)送衣物。哪怕是點(diǎn)滴幫助也會緩減他人承受的壓力，幫助對方更有效地專注做改變個(gè)人處境的事。

　　Another of Dr. Chansky's invaluable tips is to "let go of the rope." When feeling pressured to figure out how to fix things now, "walk away for a few minutes, but promise to come back." As with a computer that suddenly misbehaves, Dr. Chansky suggests that you "unplug and refresh," perhaps by "taking a breathing break," inhaling and exhaling calmly and intentionally.

　　錢斯基醫(yī)生提出的另一個(gè)寶貴的建議是“松開繩子”。當(dāng)你不知該如何解決問題時(shí)，“走開幾分鐘，不過要向自己承諾一會兒就回來�！卞X斯基建議我們或許可以出去“透一口氣”，平靜、刻意地深呼吸，這樣就能像一個(gè)突然運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)不良的電腦一樣，“關(guān)掉后再重新啟動”。

　　"The more you practice calm breathing, the more it will be there for you when you need it," she wrote.

　　“你練習(xí)平靜呼吸的次數(shù)越多，當(dāng)你需要時(shí)也就越容易調(diào)動起讓人鎮(zhèn)定的能力，”她寫道。

　　She also suggests taking a break to do something physical: "Movement shifts the moment." Take a walk or bike ride, call a friend, look through a photo album, or do some small cleaning task like clearing off your night table.

　　她還建議我們可以做些體力活動來透口氣：運(yùn)動能轉(zhuǎn)移注意力。你可以散個(gè)步或騎騎車，給朋友打電話，看看影集，或者做些像是清理床頭柜這樣的家務(wù)活。

　　When you have a clear head and are feeling less overwhelmed, you'll be better able to figure out the next step.

　　等你感覺思路清晰了，不再不知所措，你將能更好地想清下一步的動作。

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