高玉玲

沒有人喜歡焦慮的情緒，但其實，焦慮帶給我們的并不都是壞事。

Nobody likes to feel anxious. Anxietyis among the most common and criticizedof human emotions. Studies show that over100 million people in the US will sufferfrom an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.Rates， especially among the young， havebeen rising for the past decade. It seems，then， that our efforts to contain anxietyarent working.

As a clinical psychologist and neuroscienceresearcher， I believe that we mentalhealth professionals have made a terriblemistake. Feeling anxious isnt theproblem. The problem is that we dont understandhow to respond constructively toanxiety. Thats why its increasingly hardto know how to feel good.

Anxiety， by contrast， has nothing todo with present threats. Instead， it turnsyou into a mental time traveler， drawingyour attention to what lies ahead. Will yousucceed or fail in that interview for a jobyou desperately want？ Anxiety promptsyour mind and body into action. Your worriesforce you to prepare thoroughly for theinterview， while your heart races and pumpsblood to your brain so that you stay sharp，focused and prepared to pursue your goals.

Research has also shown somethingthat many scientists didnt expect： higherlevels of dopamine （多巴胺） when wereanxious. We have long known that dopaminesoars （上升） when an experience ispleasurable and also in anticipation of rewards.The fact that anxiety also boosts dopaminelevels points to its role in makingpositive possibilities into reality.

Many of us feel overwhelmed by lastinganxiety and dont see any benefit fromit. We have come to believe that the bestway to cope is to get rid of it. But treatinganxiety like a disease prevents us from distinguishingbetween ordinary anxiety andanxiety disorders. We need to develop anew mindset about this misunderstoodemotion. Anxiety cant do its job unless itmakes us uncomfortable， forcing us to situp and pay attention. We dont need to likeanxiety—just to use it in the right way.

Reading Check

Why is it increasingly hard for us toknow how to feel good？