為什么壓力對(duì)你有好處

為什么壓力對(duì)你有好處

Stress has measurable and significant physical and mental health impacts (a Yale study found chronic stress can actually shrink your brain), and we hear quite a bit about it, as researchers continue examining its long and short-term influence. They've even determined that stress is contagious.

壓力對(duì)身體和精神健康的影響是可以測量的，而且是顯著的(耶魯大學(xué)的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，長期的壓力實(shí)際上會(huì)使你的大腦萎縮)。他們甚至確定壓力是會(huì)傳染的。

But what's not often talked about is that some stress is beneficial. This is not the chronic stress that can hurt you, but the heightened emotional state one feels before speaking in public or writing an important paper. Scientists have found that our abilities peak under moderate levels of stress. And as long as it doesn't go on too long, that short-duration stress isn't unhealthy.

但人們不常談?wù)摰氖?，一些壓力是有益的。這不是會(huì)傷害你的慢性壓力，而是在公開演講或撰寫重要論文之前所感受到的高度情緒狀態(tài)。科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們的能力在適度的壓力下達(dá)到頂峰。只要持續(xù)的時(shí)間不太長，持續(xù)時(shí)間短的壓力就不是不健康的。

Short bursts of stress can be good for you — but being perpetually late all the time probably isn't the best way to accomplish that feeling. (Photo: Stokke/Shutterstock)

Stress and anxiety are unavoidable elements of our lives and sometimes can have benefits.

壓力和焦慮是我們生活中不可避免的因素，有時(shí)也有好處。

But the key is not to worry if you are stressed sometimes.

但關(guān)鍵是，如果你有時(shí)有壓力，不要擔(dān)心。

A study at the University of California, Berkeley, found that “Some amounts of stress are good to push you just to the level of optimal alertness, behavioral and cognitive performance,” said Daniela Kaufer, associate professor of integrative biology at the UC Berkeley, in a news release.

加州大學(xué)伯克利分校綜合生物學(xué)副教授丹妮拉·考弗在新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上表示，一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，“一定程度的壓力有助于將你的警覺性、行為和認(rèn)知能力提升到最佳水平。”

Those stress hormones can help animals (and people) adapt to changing environments. For example, we are more likely to remember something if it was accompanied by some level of stress.

這些應(yīng)激激素可以幫助動(dòng)物(和人類)適應(yīng)不斷變化的環(huán)境。例如，如果某件事伴隨著某種程度的壓力，我們更有可能記住它。

However, when those stressful events are continuous, the opposite occurs and the memory is impaired, she said.

然而，當(dāng)這些壓力事件持續(xù)時(shí)，相反的情況就會(huì)發(fā)生，記憶力就會(huì)受損，她說。

Stress plays the job of keeping you alert and telling you to pay attention. (Photo: MvanCaspel/Shutterstock)

So how do you know when stress is healthy or not? There isn't an exact answer, and on top of that, individual people vary in their response to stress. But one way to mitigate stress is to actively address it. Ignoring it by vegging out in front of the TV or drinking wine doesn't address the deeper levels (or causes) of stress. And those people who do manage stress — people who are generally skilled at managing their emotions — are more likely to perform at higher levels.

那么，你怎么知道什么時(shí)候壓力是健康的呢?沒有一個(gè)確切的答案，最重要的是，每個(gè)人對(duì)壓力的反應(yīng)各不相同。但是減輕壓力的一個(gè)方法是積極地解決它。在電視前呆坐或喝酒忽視壓力并不能解決壓力的深層(或原因)。而那些管理壓力的人——那些通常善于管理自己情緒的人——更有可能表現(xiàn)得更好。

So minimizing stress is tactic A, but tactic B is actively managing the stress and emotions you have in response. Getting quality sleep, meditating, exercising, banishing negative self-talk and engaging in positive thinking, deep breathing, spending time with friends, taking time off, and disconnecting from work are all active ways to deal with stress.

最小化壓力是策略A，但策略B是積極管理你的壓力和情緒。獲得高質(zhì)量的睡眠、冥想、鍛煉、摒棄消極的自言自語、積極思考、深呼吸、與朋友共度時(shí)光、休息、遠(yuǎn)離工作都是應(yīng)對(duì)壓力的積極方式。