二十一世纪大学英语读写教程（第三册）学习笔记（原文）——10 - Plain Talk About Handling Stress（浅谈如何缓解压力）

Unit 10 - Plain Talk About Handling Stress（浅谈如何缓解压力）

Plain Talk About Handling Stress

Louis E. Kopolow, M.D.

You need stress in your life! Does that surprise you? Perhaps so, but it is quite true. Without stress, life would be dull and unexciting. Stress adds flavor, challenge, and opportunity to life. Too much stress, however, can seriously affect your physical and mental well-being. A major challenge in the stress-filled world of today is to learn how to cope with stress so that it doesn't become overwhelming.

What kinds of things can cause too much stress in our lives? We often think of major crises such as natural disasters, war, and death as main sources of stress. These are, of course, stressful events. However, according to psychologist Wayne Weiten, on a day-to-day basis, it's the small things that cause stress: waiting in line, having car trouble, getting stuck in a traffic jam, having too many things to do in a limited time.

Interestingly, stress is unique and personal to each of us. So personal, in fact, that what may be relaxing to one person may be stressful to another. For example, if you're an executive who likes to keep busy all the time, "taking it easy" at the beach on a beautiful day may feel extremely frustrating, non-productive, and upsetting. You may be emotionally distressed from "doing nothing".

Hans Selye, M.D., a recognized expert in the field, has defined stress as a "non-specific response of the body to a demand." For the busy executive, the demand that causes stress might be to relax. For most of us, it's a demand to act that causes stress. If we feel overwhelmed by pressure to do too much, we may not be able to function at all. In this case, the stress that can be good for us becomes distress, or bad stress. When stress becomes prolonged or particularly frustrating, it can become harmful, causing physical illness.

Reacting To Stress

The body responds to stressful events by going through three stages: (1) alarm, (2) resistance and (3) exhaustion. Let's take the example of a typical commuter in rush-hour traffic. If a car suddenly pulls out in front of him, his initial alarm reaction may include fear of an accident, anger at the driver who committed the action, and general frustration. His body may respond in the alarm stage by releasing chemicals into the bloodstream which cause his face to flush, perspiration to form, his stomach to have a sinking feeling, and his arms and legs to tighten. The next stage is resistance, in which the body repairs damage caused by the stress. If the stress of driving continues with repeated close calls or traffic jams, however, his body doesn't have time to make repairs. He may become so conditioned to expect potential problems when he drives that he tightens up at the beginning of each commuting day. The third stage, exhaustion, occurs if the stress continues over a long period of time, and the body depletes its resources for fighting stress. The result may be illness: insomnia, headaches, backaches, ulcers, high blood pressure — even heart disease.

While you can't live completely free of stress and distress, you can prevent some distress as well as minimize its impact. By recognizing the early signs of distress and then doing something about them, you can improve the quality of your life and perhaps even live longer.

Helping Yourself

When stress does occur, it's important to recognize and deal with it. Here are some suggestions for handling stress. As you begin to understand more about how stress affects you as an individual, you'll come up with your own ways to ease the tension.

Try physical activity. When you're nervous, angry or upset, release the pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running, walking, playing tennis or working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try. Physical exercise will relieve the tension, relax you and turn the frowns into smiles. Remember, your body and your mind work together.

Share your stress. It helps to talk to someone about your concerns and worries. Perhaps a friend, family member, teacher or counselor can help you see your problem in a different light. If you feel your problem is serious, you might seek professional help from a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker or mental health counselor. Knowing when to ask for help may help you avoid more serious problems later.

Know your limits. If a problem is beyond your control and can't be changed at the moment, don't fight the situation. Learn to accept what is — for now — until a time when you can change it.

Take care of yourself. You're special. Get enough rest and eat well. If you're irritable and tense from lack of sleep or if you aren't eating correctly, you'll have less ability to deal with stressful situations. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should ask your doctor for help.

Make time for fun. Schedule time for both work and recreation. Play can be just as important to your well-being as work; you need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun.

Be a participant. One way to keep from getting bored, sad, and lonely is to go somewhere where things are happening. Sitting alone can make you feel frustrated. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, get involved and become a participant. Offer your services in volunteer organizations. Help yourself by helping other people. Get involved in the world and the people around you, and you'll find they'll be attracted to you. You'll be on your way to making new friends and enjoying new activities.

Check off your tasks. Trying to take care of everything at once can seem overwhelming, and, as a result, you may not accomplish anything. Instead, make a list of what tasks you have to do, then do one at a time, check them off as they're completed. Give priority to the most important ones and do those first.

Must you always be right? Do other people upset you — particularly when they don't do things your way? Try cooperation instead of confrontation; it's better than fighting and always being "right." A little give and take on both sides will reduce the strain and make you both feel more comfortable.

It's OK to cry. A good cry can be a healthy way to bring relief to your anxiety, and it might even prevent a headache or other physical consequences. Take some deep breaths; they also release tension.

Create a quiet scene. You can't always run away, but you can "dream the impossible dream." A quiet country scene painted mentally (or on canvas!) can let you escape from a stressful situation. Change the scene by reading a good book or playing beautiful music to create a sense of peace.

Avoid self-medication. Although you can use prescription or over-the-counter medications to relieve stress temporarily, they don't eliminate the conditions that caused the stress in the first place. Medications, in fact, may be habit-forming and can also reduce your efficiency, thus creating more stress than they take away. They should be taken only on the advice of your doctor.

The Art of Relaxation

The best strategy for avoiding stress is to learn how to relax. Unfortunately many people try to relax at the same pace that they lead the rest of their lives. For a while, tune out your worries about time, productivity, and "doing right". You'll find satisfaction in just being, without striving. Find activities that give you pleasure and that are good for your mental and physical well-being. Forget about always winning. Focus on relaxation, enjoyment, and health. Whatever method works for you, be good to yourself. If you don't let stress get out of hand, you can actually make it work for you instead of against you.

New Words

stress

n. force or pressure caused by difficulties in life 压力；紧张

well-being

n. the state of being healthy, happy, or prosperous 安康；安乐；幸福

overwhelming

a. irresistible by force of numbers, influence, amount, etc. 压倒的，势不可挡的；无法抵抗的

stressful

a. 紧张的；压力重的

distress

vt. subject to pressure, stress, or strain; make unhappy 使紧张；使苦恼；使痛苦

n. （精神上的）痛苦；苦恼

prolong

vt. make longer; extend 延长；延伸

resistance

n. an act of resisting; desire to oppose sth. 抵抗；反抗；抵制；抗拒

resistant

a. having or showing resistance 抵抗的；反抗的

rush-hour

a. 交通高峰时间的

initial

a. occurring at the beginning; first or earliest 开头的；最初的

bloodstream

n. the blood as it flows through the body （体内的）血流

flush

vi. turn red because of a rush of blood to the skin; blush （因皮肤充血而）变红；脸红

close call

n. a narrow escape from danger or an accident 侥幸脱险，死里逃生

condition

vt. accustom; train 使习惯；训练

deplete

vt. use up or exhaust 用光；耗尽

insomnia

n. inability to sleep; sleeplessness 失眠症；失眠

relieve

vt. ease or reduce (pain, anxiety or trouble) 解除或减轻（痛苦等）

social worker

n. a person who does work directed toward the betterment of social conditions in a community 社会福利工作者

irritable

a. easily made angry; impatient 易怒的；急躁的

irritate

vt. make impatient or angry 使急躁；激怒

tense

a. nervous, anxious and unable to relax （心理或神经）紧张的，不安的

repeatedly

ad. again and again 一再，再三；反复地

volunteer

n. a person who enters any service of his own choice; a person who serves without pay 志愿者

a. of or made up of volunteers 志愿（者）的

confrontation

n. an open or direct clash; angry opposition 冲突；对抗

give and take

n. willingness to be mutually tolerant and forgiving within a relationship 互谅互让

anxiety

n. uneasy thoughts or fears about what may happen; troubled, worried, or uneasy feeling 焦虑；忧虑

self-medication

n. the act of taking medicines without the advice of a doctor 自我药疗

over-the-counter

a. (of medicine) that can be sold and bought without a doctor's prescription （药）无医生处方也可合法出售的

habit-forming

a. (esp. of medicine, a drug, etc.) that can become impossible to stop taking because one's body begins to need it （尤指药物、毒品等）易使人上瘾的

efficiency

n. the ability to do things without waste of time or energy 效率

relaxation

n. 1. 松驰，放松

2. 休息；消遣；娱乐

relax

v. 1. make or become less active or worried 放松，（使）轻松

2. make (effort or control) less severe 使…松懈；放宽

strive

vi. try hard; make efforts 努力；奋斗

Phrases and Expressions

take it easy

refrain from hard work; relax 不过于劳累；放松

go through

undergo; experience 经历；经受

pull out

(of a vehicle) move out from the side of the road, or from its normal position to overtake （车辆）为超车而驶离路边或正常位置

tighten up

become tight or tighter 绷紧

for now

for this time; until a later time 目前；暂时

make time

find or gain time 腾出时间；争取时间

have fun

enjoy oneself 玩得开心

check off

mark, especially on a list, as finished or requiring no further attention 核对后打勾；勾销

in the first place

at the beginning of the discussion of a matter; to start with 最初；原先

on sb.'s advice/on the advice of sb.

according to the advice given by sb. 按照某人的劝告

tune out

ignore; stop paying attention to 不理会

(get) out of hand

(get) out of control 失去控制

Proper Names

Louis E. Kopolow

路易斯·E·科珀洛（男子名）

Wayne Weiten

韦恩·魏滕（男子名）

Hans Selye

汉斯·泽利厄（男子名）

参考资料：

21世纪大学英语读写教程第三册 Unit10_大学教材听力 - 可可英语

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