如何變壓力為動(dòng)力

　　Kate Matheny isn't exactly someone who shies away from stress. Throughout her career, the Aurora, Colo., certified public accountant has pursued a progression of high-pressure management jobs. 'I'm hard core,' says the 44-year-old wife and mother of two. 'I wanted to be on top of the food chain [at work], and I wanted to be a great mom' -- one who could attend lacrosse games, drive carpool and help with homework even after an hour-long commute and workdays that started, more often than not, with a 5 a.m. marathon-training run.

　　凱特·馬西尼(Kate Matheny)并不是那種逃避壓力的人。44歲的馬西尼家住科羅拉多州奧羅拉(Aurora)，是一名注冊(cè)會(huì)計(jì)師，也是兩個(gè)孩子的母親，她在職業(yè)生涯中曾連續(xù)從事過(guò)很多壓力很大的管理工作。她說(shuō)：“我做事情非常專注投入。我想[在工作上]處于食物鏈的頂層，我也想做一位偉大的母親”──一位能夠參加長(zhǎng)曲棍球比賽、與人拼車出行、工作日通常是以每天早上五點(diǎn)的馬拉松訓(xùn)練開始、下班路上花了一小時(shí)回家后還能輔導(dǎo)孩子作業(yè)的母親。

　　That is, until she hit the proverbial wall.

　　她就是這樣的一個(gè)人，直到她撞到了眾所周知的那堵墻。

　　After months of losing sleep, dropping weight and 'feeling pushed to the brink of losing my mind' by her juggling act, Ms. Matheny decided she had to address her stress -- and turn it to her advantage. The new job she recently switched to still has its share of pressure, but with more support from her boss and more flexibility in her schedule, she says she feels great.

　　在經(jīng)歷了幾個(gè)月的失眠、體重下降和感覺追求面面俱到“將我推到精神崩潰的邊緣”之后，馬西尼認(rèn)為必須要解決壓力問(wèn)題──讓壓力變得對(duì)自己有利。她最近換的新工作仍然有壓力，但是能夠得到老板更多的支持，工作時(shí)間也更靈活，她說(shuō)她感覺特別好。

　　Contrary to popular belief, stress doesn't have to be a soul-sucking, health-draining force. But few people know how to transform their stress into the positive kind that helps them reach their goals.

　　與普遍的看法相反，壓力并不一定就是一種讓人心力交瘁、健康衰竭的力量，然而沒有多少人懂得如何將壓力轉(zhuǎn)變成能夠幫助他們達(dá)到目標(biāo)的正能量。

　　Recent research confirms that gaining control over job demands, doing work that lends meaning and purpose to life and enjoying support and encouragement from co-workers are all linked to beneficial stress. Simply changing attitudes and expectations about stress -- through coaching, training or peer-support groups -- can also foster the constructive kind of stress.

　　最近的研究證實(shí)，能夠調(diào)控自己的工作內(nèi)容、從事能夠讓自己的人生變得有意義有目標(biāo)的工作、獲得同事的支持和鼓勵(lì)都可以幫你將壓力轉(zhuǎn)化為助力。只需改變對(duì)待壓力的態(tài)度和預(yù)期──通過(guò)教練指導(dǎo)、培訓(xùn)或同伴支持團(tuán)隊(duì)──也可以培養(yǎng)這種建設(shè)性壓力。

　　'Stress is paradoxical,' says Alia Crum, a research scholar in the management department at Columbia Business School who studies how people's attitudes shape their response to stress. 'On one hand, it can be the thing that hurts us most. On the other, it's fundamental to psychological and physical growth. Our belief system, the lens through which we choose to view and approach stress, will shift the outcome.'

　　哥倫比亞大學(xué)商學(xué)院(Columbia Business School)管理系的研究員阿利婭·克拉姆(Alia Crum)說(shuō)：“壓力是個(gè)矛盾的東西。一方面，它可能會(huì)對(duì)我們?cè)斐珊苌畹膫�害。另一方面，它�?duì)身心的成長(zhǎng)都是必要的。我們的信念系統(tǒng)是一面透鏡，透過(guò)它我們可以選擇如何看待和處理壓力，它可以改變結(jié)果。”克拉姆博士研究的課題是人們的態(tài)度如何改變他們對(duì)壓力的反應(yīng)。

　　Employees at a troubled financial-services company were able to change their attitudes toward stress with the help of a video-training program showing athletes, leaders and professionals accomplishing great feats in the face of daunting challenges, according to research led by Dr. Crum that was published this year in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 'We found a consistent shift in the mind-set among participants,' she says, toward seeing stress not as a drain, but as an aid to performance. And, the research showed, people who made the shift were more likely to experience a healthier physiological response during a difficult public-speaking exercise, exhibiting only moderate levels of stress hormones.

　　克拉姆博士領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的一項(xiàng)研究今年在《人格和社會(huì)心理學(xué)雜志》(Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)上發(fā)表了論文，研究顯示，在一家陷入困境的金融服務(wù)公司工作的員工借助一項(xiàng)視頻培訓(xùn)計(jì)劃就可以改變他們對(duì)待壓力的態(tài)度，視頻展示的是那些不畏挑戰(zhàn)取得偉大成就的運(yùn)動(dòng)員、領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者和專業(yè)人士�？死�姆博士說(shuō)，“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)參與者在心態(tài)方面發(fā)生了一致的轉(zhuǎn)變”，不再把壓力看作是一種耗人的東西，而是將其視為提升自身表現(xiàn)的輔助手段。該項(xiàng)研究還顯示，在一次難度很大的公共演講演習(xí)中，成功轉(zhuǎn)變了心態(tài)的人更有可能產(chǎn)生比較健康的生理反應(yīng)，應(yīng)激激素只達(dá)到了中等水平。

　　Ms. Matheny, the Colorado C.P.A., felt more than moderate stress levels in her previous job as a chief financial officer for an investment company. The smallest snag, such as bad weather delaying her kids' school bus, could derail her tightly wound daily schedule. After dropping 20 pounds she didn't want to lose, she says she found herself too weak to enjoy running a marathon. 'I asked myself, 'What are you doing?''

　　前文所述的科羅拉多州注冊(cè)會(huì)計(jì)師馬西尼之前在一家投資公司擔(dān)任首席財(cái)務(wù)長(zhǎng)，當(dāng)時(shí)她感受到的壓力超過(guò)了中等水平。最細(xì)微的一個(gè)小問(wèn)題，比如惡劣的天氣耽誤了她孩子的校車，都會(huì)打亂她排得滿滿的日程安排。在并非自愿的情況下體重掉了20磅以后，她說(shuō)她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己太虛弱了，無(wú)法再盡興地跑馬拉松。“我問(wèn)自己：‘你在做什么?’”

　　Her new job, as C.F.O. for a smaller, less financially stable company, has let her blast her biggest causes of harmful stress. She gained control of her time by cutting her commute to 20 minutes and getting work done from home during off hours while still making time for her kids' activities -- which her new boss endorses. She is sleeping better, her weight is rising and she is strong enough to enjoy running again. 'Work is still extremely stressful,' she says. 'But it's not personal stress.'

　　她的新工作是在一家規(guī)模小一些、財(cái)務(wù)狀況不那么穩(wěn)定的公司擔(dān)任首席財(cái)務(wù)長(zhǎng)，這讓她甩掉了產(chǎn)生有害壓力的最大成因。她可以掌控自己的時(shí)間了：通勤時(shí)間縮減到了20分鐘，可以下班時(shí)間在家完成工作，同時(shí)還能騰出時(shí)間參與孩子的活動(dòng)──這一點(diǎn)得到了新老板的批準(zhǔn)。她的睡眠改善了，體重正在回升，身體好到可以重新盡情跑步了。她說(shuō)：“工作壓力還是非常大，但那不是個(gè)人的壓力。”

　　In a healthy stress response, the heart pumps faster and the brain goes on high alert as stress hormones flow into the bloodstream, temporarily shutting down the digestive and immune systems to devote more resources to the challenge at hand. Stress becomes harmful when these indicators stay chronically elevated, raising blood pressure, damaging the cardiovascular system, compromising immunity and causing aches, pains, digestive upsets and insomnia.

　　在健康的壓力反應(yīng)中，隨著應(yīng)激激素進(jìn)入血液，心臟跳動(dòng)加快，大腦處于高度戒備狀態(tài)，消化系統(tǒng)和免疫系統(tǒng)暫時(shí)關(guān)閉，好讓更多的資源用于應(yīng)對(duì)手頭的挑戰(zhàn)。當(dāng)這些指標(biāo)長(zhǎng)期保持高位，壓力就變得有害了，會(huì)導(dǎo)致血壓升高、損害心血管系統(tǒng)、危害免疫系統(tǒng)并引起疼痛、消化不良和失眠。

　　It is difficult to reverse an extreme stress response once it is under way, researchers say. More often, people who succeed in turning stress to their advantage make changes in advance, in their mind set or beliefs about stress, or in the way they work or organize their lives.

　　研究人員說(shuō)，極端的壓力反應(yīng)一旦出現(xiàn)就很難扭轉(zhuǎn)。更多的時(shí)候，成功實(shí)現(xiàn)壓力對(duì)己有利轉(zhuǎn)變的人都是事先在對(duì)待壓力的.心態(tài)和理念上做出了改變，或者在他們的工作或安排生活的方式上做出了改變。

　　When severe stress caused Gary Schmidt to fail repeatedly in job interviews after graduating from college years ago, he tapped a peer-support group for help. He learned, through coaching from other members of Toastmasters International, a nonprofit communication and leadership-training group, to frame challenges as an opportunity to perform well, rather than a threat, he says.

　　多年前，巨大的壓力讓加里·施密特(Gary Schmidt)在大學(xué)畢業(yè)后屢次在工作面試中失敗，于是他選擇了向一家同伴支持團(tuán)體尋求幫助。他說(shuō)，通過(guò)國(guó)際演講協(xié)會(huì)(Toastmasters International)中其他成員的指導(dǎo)訓(xùn)練，他學(xué)會(huì)了將挑戰(zhàn)構(gòu)想成做出更好表現(xiàn)的機(jī)會(huì)，而不是威脅。國(guó)際演講協(xié)會(huì)是一個(gè)非盈利性的溝通和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力培訓(xùn)組織。

　　The old anxieties struck anew after he was thrust into the job market in 2008. Beset with negative thoughts about what would happen to his finances if he blew his first job interview, he fidgeted, perspired heavily and studded his answers with 'ummm' and 'ahh,' he says. The interviewer rejected him immediately, Mr. Schmidt says.

　　2008年他被迫再次尋找工作時(shí)，過(guò)去的焦慮死灰復(fù)燃。他說(shuō)，在第一次面試中，由于滿腦子都是萬(wàn)一搞砸了自己的財(cái)務(wù)狀況將會(huì)如何這樣的消極想法，他坐立不安，使勁出汗，回答問(wèn)題時(shí)滿是“嗯”、“呃”這樣的字眼。他說(shuō)，面試官當(dāng)即拒絕了他。

　　Recalling his Toastmasters' coaching, he approached a later opportunity with a different attitude: 'I'm excited, my adrenaline is pumping,' he told himself, visualizing a home run. He 'nailed the interview,' his new boss later told him, and landed the job as a county government-affairs director in Oregon City, Ore.

　　施密特回想了自己在國(guó)際演講協(xié)會(huì)接受過(guò)的指導(dǎo)，在后來(lái)的一次面試中采取了完全不同的態(tài)度：他想象著自己完成了一次本壘打，告訴自己，“我很激動(dòng)，我的腎上腺素在噴涌而出。”他“搞定了面試”(這是他的新老板后來(lái)跟他說(shuō)的原話)，得到了擔(dān)任俄勒岡州俄勒岡市(Oregon City)一名縣級(jí)政府事務(wù)主管的工作。

　　People differ in their capacity to dial down the stress response. Some are hard-wired by genetics and early-life experience to react more fearfully to challenges. Others who experience early adversity seem to stop responding to stress at all, posting little or no physiological reaction. No stress-management technique works for everyone; many people find their own best tactics through trial and error.

　　人們控制壓力反應(yīng)的能力存在差異。有些人因?yàn)檫z傳因素和早年的生活經(jīng)歷根深蒂固，面對(duì)挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)表現(xiàn)得比其他人更加害怕。而有些早年經(jīng)歷過(guò)逆境的人似乎對(duì)壓力完全不會(huì)作出反應(yīng)，很少或者沒有任何生理反應(yīng)。沒有一種壓力調(diào)節(jié)技巧對(duì)每一個(gè)人都有效;很多人都是在反復(fù)嘗試中才找到了適合自己的最佳方法。

　　For stress to be most beneficial, it's important to find meaning in your work, says Debra Nelson, a management professor at Oklahoma State University who has been studying stress for 30 years. 'You have to have hope -- the will and the way to accomplish what you are trying to do.' A 2011 research review in Stress and Health co-written by Dr. Nelson found that even workers doing intense, high-stakes jobs, such as air-traffic controllers and intensive-care nurses, thrive under heavy stress if they are optimistic about the future and find their work meaningful.

　　研究壓力問(wèn)題已有30年的俄克拉荷馬州立大學(xué)(Oklahoma State University)管理學(xué)教授德布拉·納爾遜(Debra Nelson)說(shuō)，要想盡量讓壓力于己有益，發(fā)現(xiàn)工作的意義很重要。“你必須心懷希望──完成你試圖做的那件事情的意愿和方法。”2011年刊登在《壓力與健康》(Stress and Health)雜志上的一篇納爾遜博士與人共同撰寫的研究評(píng)論指出，如果人們對(duì)未來(lái)持樂(lè)觀態(tài)度并發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的工作很有意義，哪怕是從事高強(qiáng)度、高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)工作的人在沉重的壓力下也會(huì)從容應(yīng)對(duì)，比如空中交通管制員和重癥監(jiān)護(hù)室的護(hù)士。

　　It also helps to eliminate known predictors of harmful strain, such as a lack of autonomy on the job, an unsupportive boss or co-workers, Dr. Nelson says. Some people, for example, assert themselves by negotiating to trim down impossible work loads or asking for more of the kind of work they enjoy, says Lois Barth, a New York City career coach.

　　納爾遜博士說(shuō)，消除諸如缺乏工作自主性、老板或同事不支持等你知道會(huì)導(dǎo)致有害壓力的因素也很有幫助。例如，紐約市的職業(yè)規(guī)劃教練洛伊斯·巴思(Lois Barth)說(shuō)，有些人通過(guò)與老板磋商減去無(wú)法完成的工作量，或者要求給予更多自己喜歡的工作，以此來(lái)維護(hù)自己的權(quán)利。

　　Desiree Adaway was chronically stressed in a previous job as a senior manager for a nonprofit organization. She traveled half the time, often carrying three phones to respond to clients, co-workers and volunteers, and felt powerless to implement her ideas in a big organization. She often fell ill with bronchitis, her hair was falling out and her weight rose. In 2009, she says, her doctor looked at her, saying, 'Your stress levels are off the roof.'

　　家住北卡羅來(lái)納州阿什維爾市(Asheville)的德西蕾·艾德維(Desiree Adaway)是一位單身母親，以前在一家非盈利組織擔(dān)任高級(jí)管理人員的時(shí)候長(zhǎng)期承受著壓力。她的工作有一半時(shí)間在出差，經(jīng)常帶著三部手機(jī)接聽來(lái)自客戶、同事和志愿者的電話，常常感到要在一家大機(jī)構(gòu)里實(shí)施自己的想法是那么地有心無(wú)力。她經(jīng)常因支氣管炎而病倒，頭發(fā)開始脫落，體重也增加了。她說(shuō)，2009年她的醫(yī)生看著她說(shuō)：“你的壓力大得驚人。”

　　The exit route she chose -- starting her own business consulting for and coaching nonprofits -- actually compounded her stress by some measures, says the Asheville, N.C., single mother. She continues to work 10-hour days to support herself and put her two daughters, 19 and 22, through college. 'I have to juggle payroll and cash flow, I have to blog and market myself. . . I go to networking events several nights a week,' she says. But her work, helping clients reach their goals, 'just lights my fire,' she says. Now, stress is 'the kind of tension that leads me to action, and it feels really good. I'm exhausted, but I'm exhilarated.'

　　她說(shuō)，她選擇的出路──開辦了自己的為非盈利機(jī)構(gòu)提供咨詢和指導(dǎo)的公司──按某些指標(biāo)衡量，實(shí)際上是增加了她的壓力。她繼續(xù)每天工作10小時(shí)來(lái)養(yǎng)活自己，供養(yǎng)19歲和22歲的兩個(gè)女兒上大學(xué)。她說(shuō)：“我必須同時(shí)應(yīng)對(duì)工資單和現(xiàn)金流問(wèn)題，我必須寫博客推銷自己……我一周好幾個(gè)晚上都要去參加社交晚宴。”但是她說(shuō)這份幫助客戶實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的工作“正好點(diǎn)燃了我心中的火炬”�，F(xiàn)在，壓力是“激勵(lì)我行動(dòng)的一種緊張情緒，這種感覺真的不錯(cuò)。我很累，但是我感到精神振奮”。

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