Does that headline sound like you? CNN reports that roughly 80 percent of people report feeling stress, largely due to the economy. Clearly, you’re not alone. That doesn’t mean can’t take steps to improve how you’re feeling. If you’re trying to avoid sucker punching your coworker, you might try some of the following tactics to stress less:
Take Five Minutes for Yourself
One of the culprits behind debilitating stress is a feeling of a loss of control. There are too many demands to meet, too many people to please, and not enough time or resources to do it all. Of course, for most of us, this isn’t actually true: it just feels that way. Bust this out-of-control feeling by forcing yourself to take five minutes to yourself. What you do in that five minutes is up to you: scream, quote angry Napoleon Dynamite moments, sing Aretha Franklin, meditate, or just breathe. The world won’t fall apart. Take this moment to remember that you’re in control. Even if you don’t like them, your choices are yours. If you really had to, you could walk out the door. Once you accept your choices, the world can seem easier to handle—less looming, more manageable. In the worst case, you’re only five minutes behind.
Give Yourself a Treat
It’s hard to be angry when you’re in the throes of bliss. The bliss is up to you; I love enjoying a rare Pepsi, a fantastic kiss, or a good song. Soak in the happy feelings and let it squish the anger out. You only have room for so many raging emotions, so replace the anger with pure self-indulgent pleasure.
Help Someone Else
It sounds sappy, and it totally is. But helping someone else, someone who really needs it, is a great way to snap yourself out of an idiot-induced rage. That may mean emailing a contact who needs a boost or just offering to dive into a sticky project. It gets you out of yourself, which is often the best tactic for yourself and the world at large.
Talk to a Friend Who Won’t Take You Too Seriously
I love bitching and moaning to my husband because he never lets me take it seriously. He sympathizes, he listens, and then he teases (either me or the situation I’m frustrated with). First, though, give your friend the heads-up that you’re just venting. You don’t need them to take any action beyond just listening to you as you get it off your chest. Then tell each other a terrible joke. It’s not a permanent fix, but it lets off some steam to avoid a crisis.
Acknowledge That You’re Pissed
Stop trying to play nice. Admit that you’re blood-boilingly angry. A big portion of your anger builds up, trying to get you to recognize a problem. If you keep ignoring it, you’re not going to automatically feel better.
As a Last Resort, Make Yourself Sick of Your Own Whining
Okay, I’m not big on self-pity and complaining without taking action. But if you just can’t stop feeling frustrated and angry, then give it a try. Write out your angry thoughts, speak them in your head over and over, whatever works for you. Do it in a Napoleon Dynamite voice. (Seriously, this is what works for me. I can’t help but crack up at how angry that character gets at small things. Gives me perspective.) At some point, you’re going to get sick of being helpless and angry. Some burdens we just have to carry until we’re ready to drop them. Speed the process up and get it over with as soon as possible.
This list is by no means exhaustive. It’s just what works for me. What works for you?
译文:
精神紧张，愤怒，打人的冲动——你正深处这些困扰吗？
这个题目是不是让你感同身受呢？据美国有线电视新闻网报道，大约80%的人觉得自己压力大，而这些压力大部分是经济因素导致的。显然，并不是只有你在受煎熬。但这并不意味着我们对舒解心情无计可施。如果你正在努力克制想狠揍你同事一顿的冲动，那么你或许可以尝试下面这些方法来减轻你的压力：
给自己留白5分钟
神经衰弱，压力过大的恶果之一是情绪失控。你需要达到那么多的要求，使那么多人对你满意，但却没有那么多的时间和精力来一一达到。当然，对于大多数人来说，事实并没那么糟糕，只是我们自己觉得而已。但是这种失控的感觉使你不得不腾出5分钟留给自己，这5分钟用来做什么由你决定：尖叫，学学拿破仑生气时那样，唱唱艾瑞莎.弗兰克林的歌曲，沉思，或者只是呼吸，世界不会因你那5分钟而瘫痪的。这一刻请记住你是可以自控的，哪怕你不喜欢那些世俗的束缚，那也是你选择。实在需要的话，你可以出门散散步。一旦你接受了你的选择，世界对你而言就会变得更清晰，更容易掌控。就算之前的方法都没有效，好歹你也只是落后了5分钟。
犒劳你自己
当你沉浸在幸福时便很难生气，而幸福要靠你自己争取；我的乐趣便是喝口味较淡的百事可乐，享受一个销魂的热吻或者哼一首动听的歌。把幸福浸满心中，让愤怒无处搁置。既然你有那么多空间存储愤怒，那么何不用肆意的欢乐来取代他呢。
帮助他人
这确实有多管闲事的嫌疑，但为了使你摆脱发怒的愚蠢想法，向那些真正需要帮助的人伸出援手确实一个很好的方法。这可能意味着你要与被帮助的人建立联系或只会让你陷入麻烦的事情中。这样既能让你忘记自己的苦闷，使你受益的同时还能对整个世界有好处。
和不把你话当真的人聊天
我喜欢向我的丈夫发牢骚，抱怨，因为他从不会让我觉得那些事情有多么严重。他总是一脸同情的倾听，然后开玩笑的逗我（我也不觉得那情形让人失望）。但是首先，要提前告诉你的朋友你只是在发泄，他们不需要做什么，只要在你宣泄胸中不快的时候倾听就好了。然后告诉每个人你只是开了个可怕的玩笑。这虽只是缓兵之计，但宣泄一些不快可以避免你发狂。
承认你在生气
别再假装一副愉快的样子，承认了吧，你已经怒火中烧。如果你的怒气积累到一定程度，那你应该意识到它成了一个问题。如果你还继续忽视它，那你根本不可能自动好起来。
最后一个方法：让你厌倦自己的牢骚
是的，我不善于自怨自艾却不采取任何解决措施。但是如果你无法停止沮丧和愤怒的心情，那么就试试这个方法吧。写下你生气时想法，在你脑中一遍又一遍的默念，只要是对有效的都可以。用大人物拿破仑的方式表达出来。（这方法对我真的有效。一件小事就能使我生气，我无法克制自己发狂。给我个建议。），终于某天，你对自己表现出的无助和愤怒感到厌烦。在我们可以摆脱一些负担之前，我们不得不忍受他们，所以我们能做的就是尽可能快的甩了他们。
以上列出来的并不全面，我只是提了对我有效的方法，对你有效的方法是什么呢？