《TED》How to Calm Your Anxiety, From a Neuroscientist.

更新於 2023/04/12發佈於 2023/04/05閱讀時間約 23 分鐘

Global anxiety levels have increased tremendously in recent years. What if you could take all that energy racing around your brain and your body and transform it into something helpful? Here are two powerful science-based tools for turning down the volume of our anxiety.

You know when you get that ambiguous email from your boss and you start to feel sweaty palms and that empty, freaked-out sensation in your stomach? Welcome back. Anxiety. Most of us think of anxiety as a bad thing, something to be avoided at all costs.

ambiguous (adj.) 含糊不清的
The instructions for the project were ambiguous, so I wasn't sure what to do.

at all costs 不惜一切代價
We must succeed at all costs.

But what if it weren't? What if you could take all of that energy racing around your brain and your body and transform it into something helpful? Global anxiety levels, both the clinical kind and what I call the everyday kind, have increased tremendously in recent years. And many of us are noticing this at work. We might think of anxiety as something that we'd rather just leave on the side of the road if we could.

leave on the side of the road 不再關心某事或某物

But anxiety is an important tool that arose during our evolution that we use to avoid danger. It's essential for our survival. So how come we don't even feel vaguely protected by it? It's because the volume of our individual and collective anxiety levels has been turned way up too high, and too much of even a potentially good thing like anxiety is bad.

vaguely (adv.) 模糊地、含糊地、不清楚地
常用於形容一個概念或想法不太明確或模糊。
I vaguely remember discussing this plan with him, but I'm not sure what the details were.

collective (adj.) 集體的
通常用於描述集體行為、集體決策和集體意識等方面。
The collective effort of the community helped to rebuild the local park after it was destroyed by a storm.

be turned way up too high
某個東西或某個人被調到了過高的程度，通常用來描述音量、溫度、光線等物理特性被調得太高的情況，也可以用來描述情感、反應等非物理方面被過度放大的情況。

So I would like to share two powerful science-based tools for turning down the volume on our anxiety and helping us get anxiety back to its helpful protective state. And both of these tools begin by connecting with our bodies. Tool number one is breathwork.

It's just simple deep breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling. This can be one of the most immediate ways to calm anxiety because deep breathing directly activates the naturally distressing part of our nervous systems called the parasympathetic nervous system. I recommend a boxed breathing approach, which is to inhale deeply on four counts, hold at the top for four counts, exhale deeply on four counts, and hold at the bottom for four counts.

distress (v.) 使煩亂，使焦慮，使憂慮
I hope I haven't distressed you with all these personal questions.

parasympathetic nervous system 副交感神經系統

boxed breathing approach 方形呼吸法
在這種方法中，人們需要緩慢、有意識地呼吸，並保持相同的時間節奏，例如在吸氣和呼氣之間保持相等的時間間隔。這種呼吸節奏的形狀看起來像一個方形，因此被稱為 "boxed breathing"。這種呼吸方法可以通過減少心率和壓力荷爾蒙的分泌來放鬆身體，增強身心健康。

You can even do this in the middle of any anxiety-provoking conversation and no one will even know. Lots of people, from ancient monks to modern meditators, have figured this tool out and used it all the time. Tool number two moving your body.

provoke (v.)
煽動、激起、挑釁或引起某種反應或情緒
provoke通常指通過言語、行為、態度等方式來激起或引起某種反應或情緒，可以是積極的或消極的。
I don't know why he's always so angry, I never try to provoke him.

This one also has immediate positive effects on your mood state, but for a different reason. Every time you move your body, you're releasing a whole bunch of beneficial neurochemicals in your brain. These neurochemicals include dopamine(多巴胺), serotonin(血清素), noradrenaline(去甲狀腺素), and endorphins(內啡肽) mood and reward-boosting neurochemicals that work to both increase positive mood states and decrease negative ones.

beneficial (adj.) 對身心有益的，有利的
常用來形容某些事物、習慣或行為對健康或發展有好處的情況。
Eating fruits and vegetables is beneficial to your health.

neurochemical 神經化學物質

I like to say that every single time you move your body, it's like giving yourself a wonderful bubble bath of neurochemicals for your brain. So when your boss's email comes in and your heart starts to race, what exactly can you do? If you're in an office, try taking a short walk around the block or even to the supply closet for some sticky notes. If you're working from home, put on two of your favorite songs and dance around the living room like no one is watching.

supply closet 儲藏室、儲藏櫃
多指辦公室中用來存放文具、文件等辦公用品的地方
I need to get some pens from the supply closet.

Studies have shown that all it takes is ten minutes of walking to get those mood-boosting effects. But be creative with your movement session, whether that's a quick session of power vacuuming a lah Mrs.Doubtfire when you're stressed about a deadline or doing a set of jumping jacks, or getting off the elevator one floor early to do a power walk up that last flight of stairs before an important meeting, all of these possibilities will help your anxiety levels come down. In fact, I tested this effect on my own NYU students. First, I had them take an anxiety assessment before leading them in a movement session that included movements from kickbox and dance and yoga, and martial arts together with positive spoken affirmations.

quick session
"session" 意指一段時間內的活動或會議，通常是短暫且有目標的。

Mrs.Doubtfire
"Mrs. Doubtfire"是一部1993年的美國電影，由羅賓·威廉斯（Robin Williams）主演，故事情節講述一個離婚的父親為了與他的孩子們保持聯繫而扮演成一個女傭。在電影中，"Mrs. Doubtfire"是男主角所扮演的女傭的名字。
這部電影是提到在壓力或情況不如意的情況下，使用幽默或逗趣的方式來舒緩焦慮和壓力。文章作者在提供減輕焦慮的建議時，也提到了這個概念，即使用肢體運動和呼吸練習等方法來減輕焦慮和壓力，這些都是能幫助紓解情緒和減輕壓力的方法。

jumping jacks 開合跳

take an assessment 進行評估、評價，通常指對某人或某事進行評估，以了解現狀、發現問題或改進情況。
Before starting a new exercise program, it's important to take a fitness assessment to determine your current level of fitness.

affirmation (n.) 肯定的陳述或斷言，通常用於自我鼓勵或自我肯定。
I start each day with positive affirmations to set a good tone for the rest of the day.

Then I had them retake that same anxiety assessment again. What happened after our movement session? Their anxiety scores had decreased to normal levels. Now, that's a powerful real-world example that you can use in your life today.

So make sure to incorporate these bursts of activity into your day and try one out next time you're feeling stressed. It can really make your anxiety feel less all-consuming. Once you connect with your body and turn the volume down on your anxiety, two important things will happen.

incorporate into 指將某物納入到另一個整體中，或者是將某事物包含進去。
We should incorporate healthy eating habits into our daily routine.

bursts of activity 意指短暫、間歇性的活動，通常是指在某段時間內集中進行高強度的運動或工作，接著休息一段時間。這種做法可以增加活力和生產力，同時也能減輕長時間的疲勞感。
「bursts」指的是「爆發、突發、一陣狂熱」等意思，常用來形容短暫、突然且強烈的事件或行為。

all-consuming 指某件事物或活動占據了全部的注意力、時間、精力，導致其他事情被忽略或放置一旁。
Her new job was all-consuming and she had no time for anything else.

First, when that email comes in, you'll be in a better position to evaluate. What about it makes you anxious? Is it that you've taken on too much, or that you feel insecure about a particular skill set? In other words, you'll be able to use this emotion anxiety for exactly what it evolved to do to warn you about potential dangers so you can become aware of them and find ways to effectively and creatively address them in your everyday life. Second, once you find the warning signals in your anxiety, you'll be able to communicate with others.

evaluate (v.) 評估、評價、估計某個事物的價值、重要性、成就等方面。
The company hired a consultant to evaluate its marketing strategy.

take on too much 承擔過多的責任或工作，超過個人的能力範圍。這可能會導致壓力、焦慮和失誤。
I need to learn to say no, otherwise I'll continue to take on too much and become overwhelmed.

skill set 指個人所擁有的技能和能力集合。
這個詞通常用在招聘、職涯規劃和培訓等方面，用來描述一個人所具備的技能和專業知識。
My friend has an impressive skill set that includes programming, graphic design, and video editing.

address (v.) 指的是處理、解決或應對一個人在日常生活中可能遇到的問題或挑戰。
I need to address the issue of low productivity in our team meeting tomorrow.

You might seek out advice from a trusted colleague when that difficult issue arises. Or you might even have a conversation with your boss about how to prioritize projects. Because you're no longer in fight or flight mode, asking for that support won't feel nearly as threatening.

seek out 尋求(所需的東西或資訊)
I need to seek out more information before making a decision.

prioritize (v.) 優先處理 ; 重視
As a manager, you need to prioritize the tasks and projects that will have the most impact on the company.

And one of the best gifts of approaching your anxiety in this way is that you will be able to notice those telltale signs of anxiety in everyone else around you, especially those forms of anxiety you're most familiar with. And what will that do that will allow you to give that person a smile or a kind word to help them through that moment? In other words, your own form of anxiety can boost your personal superpower of empathy. And I can't think of anything we need in this world today more than higher levels of empathy for one another.

telltale signs 明顯的跡象或徵兆，這些跡象通常可以用來推斷某些事情的存在或狀態。
它可以是身體上的症狀、行為上的變化、環境中的痕跡等等。這個詞語通常用來描述一些不好的事情，例如疾病、問題、欺騙等等。
The doctor asked the patient about any telltale signs of heart disease, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

empathy (n.) 同情心
I try to practice empathy by putting myself in other people's shoes and understanding their perspective.

Your take home in all of this, if you breathe, move, and take note of what your anxiety is signaling, you'll feel more fulfilled, more creative, more connected, and less stressed overall. And that's my wish for every one of us.

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