你會不會因為一場重要的考試而夜不能寐？你會不會因為手頭上的事情太多而焦慮不已？你會不會因為剛跟父母吵了一架，心中滿是怒火，從而無法集中注意力做任何事情？也許你不知道，所有這些表現(xiàn)的背后其實是壓力在作祟。不過別害怕，誰都會有壓力山大的時候，只要掌握了要領，你就能將其輕松制服。還不快來學習一下對付壓力的獨門秘訣？

It's 11：30 the night before a big final， and you still have four more chapters to study. You're exhausted， but you won't be able to sleep—you're too wound up1）. Your fingers tap2） the desk， and your mind races about what will happen if you fail. But it's not just the test. You can't stop thinking about that fight with your mom， the latest drama with your BFF and ...

What's going on here？ In scientific terms， being stressed out like this is an actual physical reaction called the \"fight-or-flight response3）\". When an exam or other stressor4） triggers it， your brain activates an \"alarm\" that releases stress hormones throughout the body. These hormones make you hyperalert5）， which can lead to trouble sleeping or concentrating， and you can even get physical symptoms， like stomachaches.

But it's not always bad： our ancestors wouldn't have survived without the fight-or-flight response to help them do exactly that （fight or run away?。?as predators6） approached. That same response gets you revved-up7） before a big test or game. \"Stress is a survival mode—it's all natural，\" says stress expert Dr. Kathleen Hall.

The problem is that your stress response wasn't meant to be stuck in the \"on\" position. When you're constantly worked up8）， stress can take a toll9） on your mind and body.

But you don't have to let your stress levels go haywire10）. If you recognize what stress feels like for you， you can turn the switch to \"off\" before it causes a complete system shutdown. Here are five high-stress situations.

Situation ： \"It's the night before a test，

and I can't sleep！\"

Stress can make it hard to fall asleep—but that's also when your body needs sleep the most.

This surprisingly simple trick can put your mind and body into a restful state： listening to the sound of your own breathing. \"Gently cup11） your hands over your ears， close your eyes， and listen to the sound of your breath as it flows in and out of your body，\" advises Carla Ardito， creator of the Breathing Lessons app. \"Be sure that the inhalations12） and exhalations13） are calm and slow； breathing through the nose is ideal. The sound of your own breathing relaxes you and lulls14） you to sleep.\"

Situation ： \"I have way too much

on my plate15） right now.\"

Tough classes， demanding16） clubs， friend drama， and family obligations can make it feel like life is caving in17） on you.

The best thing to do is to write down everything that's causing you stress. Then go through the list and ask， \"What do I have control over？\" Focus on the things you can actually fix. \"Stress tends to magnify everything， but it doesn't need to，\" says Raychelle Lohmann， author of The Anger Workbook for Teens. \"There are usually a couple of things you can cross off your list.\" This puts the power back in your hands.

Situation ： \"I'm so frustrated that I can't focus on anything else！\"

Ever have trouble concentrating on homework after a fight with mom or dad？ Powerful emotions like anger can throw you totally off balance. It's almost like they're holding your brain hostage18）.

Find an outlet19） for those negative feelings， whether it's your favorite sport， art， music， or writing—basically， you need something that allows you to work out your emotions of stress and anger in a physical or creative way. \"For me， it's reading， writing， and listening to my favorite songs，\" says Marsha Pinto， 18. \"It's about being alone and having that alone time.\"

Situation ： \"I'm about to

take a big final that I'm going to flunk20）.\"

It's common for negative thoughts to flood your mind when you're feeling nervous. All of a sudden， you're so convinced you'll fail that you forget you studied hard！

Right before a big test， when your nerves are going crazy， and you're doubting yourself， positive self-talk is the way to go. It might feel a little silly at first， but it really works！ \"Tell yourself， 'Hey， I can do this， I'm ready for this'， and try to combat the negative thoughts that are coming into your mind，\" says Lohmann. \"Recognize that the negative thoughts aren't truths—they're just thoughts.\"

Situation ： \"I just feel totally overwhelmed21）.\"

Once you get worked up about one thing， everything makes you anxious. Sometimes it's hard to identify why you're even stressed！

When we're stressed， we take shallow breaths from our chest rather than deep breaths from our belly. So force yourself to breathe from the abdomen22）： lie down， close your eyes， put your hands on your stomach， and make sure your belly rises as you take 10 deep breaths. Blow each one out slowly. You'll feel way more relaxed！

現(xiàn)在是晚上11點半，明天有一場重要的期末考試，而你還有四章內容需要復習。你已經(jīng)筋疲力盡了，但你無法安然入睡——你太緊張了。你的手指敲擊著桌面，大腦在飛速運轉，設想著如果自己沒有通過這場考試將會怎樣。但你腦中所想的不只是考試，你還在不由自主地想著和媽媽的那次吵架、和最好的朋友最近發(fā)生的鬧劇，還有……

這到底是怎么回事？用科學術語來說，這種壓力山大的狀態(tài)實際上是一種生理反應，名為“應激反應”。當一場考試或其他導致緊張的事件觸發(fā)了這種反應后，你的大腦就會啟動一個“警報器”，它向你的全身上下釋放出壓力荷爾蒙。這些荷爾蒙讓你變得精神高度緊張，從而可能導致失眠或注意力無法集中，你的身體甚至還有可能出現(xiàn)胃疼等癥狀。

但這種反應并非總是壞事：要是沒有這種應激反應幫助我們的祖先在捕食者靠近時采取那樣的行動（戰(zhàn)斗或是逃跑?。?，他們就不可能存活下來。同樣是這種反應讓你在一場重要考試或比賽前心跳加速。“壓力是一種生存模式——這完全是一種本能反應?！毖芯繅毫Φ膶＜覄P瑟琳·霍爾博士如是說。

問題在于，你的壓力反應并不是故意要卡在“開”這個位置上的。當你經(jīng)常因為壓力而激動時，你的身心就有可能受到嚴重損害。

不過，你沒有必要放任你的壓力值陷入失控狀態(tài)。如果你認清了自己對于壓力的真實感受，你就可以在壓力造成身體系統(tǒng)全盤罷工之前將開關切換到“關”的位置。以下是五種高壓力情形。

情形1“考試前夜，我睡不著！”

壓力會讓人難以入眠，但那時也是你的身體最需要睡眠的時候。

下面這個非常簡單的竅門能讓你的身心進入一種平靜狀態(tài)：聆聽你自己的呼吸聲。“將手窩成杯狀輕輕扣在耳朵上，閉上雙眼，隨著空氣進出你的身體，聆聽自己的呼吸聲，”手機應用軟件“呼吸教程”的開發(fā)者卡拉·阿爾迪托建議說，“確保平靜而緩慢地吸氣和呼氣，最好通過鼻子來呼吸。你自己的呼吸聲能讓你放松，并使你安然入睡。”

情形2“現(xiàn)在我手頭上的事情

太多了。”

繁重的課業(yè)、耗時費力的社團活動、朋友之間的鬧劇以及對家庭所肩負的責任，這些事情會讓你覺得好像生活要把你壓垮了。

這時最好的辦法就是把所有給你帶來壓力的事情都記下來。接下來，把你列出的清單瀏覽一遍，然后問問自己：“哪些事情是我可控的？”把注意力放在那些你能真正搞定的事情上。“壓力容易把所有事情都放大，但這沒有必要，”《是誰惹怒了你：37招教你熄滅怒火》一書的作者瑞切爾·洛曼說，“總有一些事情是你可以從你的清單上劃掉的?！边@可以使主導權重新回到你的手中。

情形3“我太沮喪了，沒法專心

做別的任何事！”

和爸爸或媽媽大吵一架后，你是否曾經(jīng)難以集中精力做作業(yè)？類似憤怒這樣的強烈情緒可以徹底打破你的平衡，這幾乎就像是它們挾持了你的大腦。

找個途徑將那些負面情緒發(fā)泄出來，不管是通過你最喜愛的體育運動、藝術愛好、音樂，還是寫作——從根本上來說，你需要這樣一些途徑，它們能讓你通過運動或富有創(chuàng)意的方式把你那些充滿壓力及憤怒的情緒發(fā)泄出來?！皩ξ襾碚f，這樣的發(fā)泄途徑就是閱讀、寫作和聽我最喜歡的歌，”18歲的瑪莎·平托說，“做這些事情時，我可以一個人待著，擁有獨處的時光?！?/p>

情形4“我馬上要參加一場重要的期末考試，

但我會考砸。”

當你感覺緊張時，滿腦子都是這種消極的想法很正常。突然之間，你就無比深信自己會不及格，以至于你都忘記了自己認真學習過！

就在一場重要考試的前夕，當你的神經(jīng)即將崩潰，當你對自己產生懷疑時，切實可行的方法就是進行積極的自我對話。起初你可能會覺得這有點兒傻，但這個方法真的很有效！“告訴你自己，‘嘿，我能做到的，我已經(jīng)準備好了’，并設法與那些涌入你腦中的消極想法作斗爭，”洛曼說，“你要明白這些消極的想法不是真相，它們不過是假想而已?！?/p>

情形5 “我就是覺得自己要徹底崩潰了！”

一旦你因為某件事生氣，那么什么事兒都會讓你焦慮不安。有時，你甚至都難以判斷自己究竟為什么壓力這么大了。

當我們感覺壓力很大時，我們會用胸部進行淺呼吸而不是用腹部進行深呼吸。因此，你要強迫自己用腹部呼吸：躺下來，閉上你的雙眼，把雙手放在你的腹部，做十次深呼吸并確保吸氣時你的腹部鼓起。每一次吸氣之后再緩緩地呼氣。你會感覺自己輕松多了！

1.wind up： （常用被動語態(tài)）使緊張；使激動

2.tap [t?p] vt. （常指連續(xù)）輕敲；輕叩；輕拍

3.fight-or-flight response： 【醫(yī)】應激反應

4.stressor [?stres?（r）] n. 【心】緊張性刺激

5.hyperalert [?ha?p?r??l??t] adj. 高度警覺的

6.predator [?pred?t?（r）] n. 捕食其他動物為生的動物，捕食者

7.revved-up [?revd?p] adj. 激動的；加快了速度的

8.work up： 激起；使激動

9.take a toll： 造成損失（或危害、傷亡等）

10.go haywire： 出故障；紊亂；失去控制

11.cup [k?p] vt. 使（手等）窩成杯狀

12.inhalation [??nh??le??n] n. 吸入（空氣、煙霧或氣體）

13.exhalation [?eksh??le??n] n. 呼出（空氣、煙霧或氣體）

14.lull [l?l] vt. 使安靜；使靜下來入睡

15.have too much on one's plate： 有很多工作要做；有很多問題要處理

16.demanding [d??mɑ?nd??] adj. 費力的；費時的

17.cave in： 坍塌；塌陷

18.hostage [?h?st?d?] n. 人質

19.outlet [?a?tlet] n. （感情、精力等的）發(fā)泄途徑（或方法）

20.flunk [fl??k] vi. （在考試等中）失敗，不及格

21.overwhelm [???v??welm] vt.使受不了；使不知所措

22.abdomen [??bd?m?n] n. 腹（部）