原文: 5 Simple Things You Can Do Today to Feel Good and Healthy

Are you busy today? How about tomorrow? How about the next day?

Yeah, see that's the issue! We're all so constantly busy and consumed with 'getting things done' that we put aside most of the simple things in life. The problem is that these simple things help get us through stressful situations.

Whether is the latest TPS report that your boss is demanding or you've just missed a mortgage payment, stress is all over the place. How we deal with these stresses will often dictate how our lives progress; we can either fold or we can play the hand we're dealt.

In the spirit of not folding, here are five simple things we all can do to see us through difficult times.

• Smile
  Our bodies have an interesting feature that I like to think of as feedback loop functions that can spiral in either direction. If we mentally feel stressed or angry, our physiology reflects our mental state with tension and increased blood pressure. The more physically tense we become, the more irritated or stressed we may feel and so on it goes. This can gain momentum into a serious downward spiral.
  
  While we may have little direct control over our mental states, we generally always can have control over our physiology. Smiling is as simple as making a fist. With smiling, you can take advantage of your body’s feedback loop. In the midst of stress at work or in traffic put a big smile on your face and hold it for 60 seconds. You will feel better. The physiology of happiness feeds back into our mental state. As your mental state relaxes your smile will begin to feel more natural, your body will relax and this will continue to feed back into your mental state.
  
  
• Meditate
  The importance of taking 5 – 10 minutes each day to simply sit and do nothing should not be downplayed. Take the time to step out of your head for a few moments and reconnect with your body. Consciously scan your body for tension and let it go. Let your thoughts come and go as they please. Breathe in and breathe out. Enjoy the sensation of being alive. For a few moments physically, mentally and emotionally just let go.
  
  
• Breathe
  The first thing we do when we are born is inhale. Breathing out will be the last thing you and I do before we die. Breathing is also the only physiological process that can be controlled both unconsciously and consciously. Breathing, just as with smiling, can be used to take advantage of the feedback loop feature of our body. Breath deep and slow and you will begin to feel calm and relaxed, both mentally and physically. Sit up straight and open your lungs up by throwing back your shoulders. Make sure you breathe deep into your belly and not with your chest.
  
  
• Exercise and Lift Weights
  A recent study by James Blumenthal, professor of psychology at Duke University, compared exercise to a common antidepressant medication in a group of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The conclusion was that exercise was as effective as the drug at alleviating symptoms of the disorder. Another study by UT Southwestern Medical Center shows a similar result. So...exercise!
  
• Help Others
  This final tip may seem a little strange but it is really very simple. Do something as simple as holding a door open for someone and you may receive a smile and thanks. It’s amazing how much difference this enjoyable interaction with other human beings can make to our day. I always feel somehow lighter as a result and the feel good energy can really help you get through an otherwise difficult day.

Share your opinion of these easy things you can do today to feel good and stay healthy by leaving a comment. Let us know about other things that have really helped you.

译文: 今天你可以做的五件事情，让自己感觉良好和健康

今天你忙碌吗？明天你忙碌吗？后天你还忙碌吗？

是啊，看到问题的所在了。我们都这样不断地忙碌着，忙于“完成事情”，我们抛开了生活中大多数简单的事情。问题是，这些简单的事情能帮助我们度过紧张的日子。

不管是你的老板索要最新的 TPS report还是你刚错过了按揭付款，压力无所不在。我们如何应对这些压力往往决定我们的生活如何进展；我们可以屈服，我们也可以对我们要处理的事情产生影响。

有不屈服的精神，以下有五件我们可以做的事情，能见证我们度过艰难时期。

微笑

我们的身体有一个有趣的特征，我喜欢把它当作信息反馈循环功能，可以在任意方向盘旋上升或下降。如果我们精神上感到紧张或愤怒，我们的生理反映了我们精神状态——紧张和血压升高。我们的身体越感到不适，我们会越感到恼火，有压力，就此发展下去。这会让人陷入严重的下滑势头。

虽然我们可能没有直接控制我们的精神状态，我们通常总是能够控制我们的生理。微笑就像握个拳头那样容易。面带微笑，你可以利用自己身体的信息反馈循环功能。处在工作或交通的压力中，挂一个笑脸并保持60秒钟。你会感觉好一点。当你处于放松自我的精神状态，微笑会开始感觉更自然，你的身体得到放松，这将继续反馈到你的精神状态中去。

沉思

每天花5-10分钟只是坐着而不做其他的事情，你不可以轻视这样做的重要性。花点时间把自己从思绪中抽出来一伙儿，再重新回归身体。下意识的细查一下身上所有的不适，任它存在。让你的想法自由穿梭。呼气和吸气。享受生存的感觉。就在这一时刻，身体上，思想上和感情上的一切放任自流。

呼吸

我们出生做的第一件是就是吸气。呼气是你和我死之前做的最后一件事。呼吸也是可以有意识和无意识控制地唯一生理过程。呼吸深与慢，你会觉得身心平静和放松。挺直坐着，把双肩后摆开阔心肺。务必从腹部开始深呼吸而不仅是用胸部呼吸。
 

运动并增加体重

美国杜克大学心理学教授詹姆斯 布卢撒尔最近的一项研究在一群被诊断为抑郁症的个体中进行运动和一种普通药物的比较。结论表明在减轻疾病症状方面运动与药物有一样的效果。由斯达康西南医药学中心开展的另一项研究出现类似的结果。所以……开始运动吧！

帮助他人

这最后的建议似乎有点奇怪。当它确实非常简单。做一些如为别人开门一样简单的事情，你可能会收获一个微笑和一份感谢。这种与他人愉快的互动能给我们的日子带来这么多不同是令人惊讶的。我总觉得事后我轻松多了，感觉这会是帮助你度过艰难时期良好的动力。

留下评论分享一下你对今天可以做的并让你感觉良好和健康的事情的看法。让我们了解其他对你有真正帮助的事情。

斯蒂芬 考克斯写于2008年11月13日。斯蒂芬从七岁时心脏手术痛苦中，20岁的长期劳累中，和同期间的虚弱偏头痛中体会到良好的健康状况的重要性。如今斯蒂芬 每天在均衡的生存中写文章，分享他从自己个人整体的健康和安乐中获得的知识和见解。

摄影：请！不要笑！