A caveman out on a hunt or a soldier on the front line needs the stress response in his body to have the energy to fight; the anticipation¹ of the life-or-death experience puts his whole body into a state of red alert. Stress enables us to meet challenges, to push ourselves through heightening our awareness² and focusing concentration.

外出打猎的穴居人或者前线作战的士兵体内都需要应激反应来激发战斗力；预见到非生即死的体验，这让他全身都进入了红色警戒状态。压力使我们迎接挑战，促使我们提高警惕并集中注意力。

But the stress most of us have is not from life-or-death situations, but arises from an accumulation of much smaller issues. If our response becomes increasingly stressful then the body will put out the red alert. We may feel like a steam cooker coming to full pressure, but we are the only one who can turn down the heat. Unfortunately we usually feel powerless to do so.

但我们大多数人面对的压力都不是生死攸关的，而是源于小事的积累。如果我们的反应过度紧张，身体就会发出红色警报，我们会感觉像压力锅压力达到极限，但只有我们自己能把热度降下来。不幸的是，我们总是感觉自己无能为力。

We may have little or no control over the circumstances or stressors we are dealing³ with, but we do have control over our response. No matter where we go or what we do, the change that's the most effective is the one within ourselves.

我们可能几乎控制不了局面或给我们造成压力的人或事，但我们的确能控制自己的反应。无论我们去哪儿或做什么，最有效的改变就是改变自己。

If we believe we cannot cope, then we'll begin to lose ground; if we believe we can cope, then we'll be able to ride over any obstacles.

如果我们觉着自己无能为力，就会开始退却；如果认为自己能行，那我们就能跨越任何障碍。

It's a change within our perception of our capabilities⁴ that will make the biggest difference. In turn, this will help develop the relaxation⁵ response and begin to normalize everything the stress response has put out of balance.

改变对自己能力的认知最重要，反过来也能帮助我们放松自己的神经，逐步让压力造成的失控局面步入正轨。

Luckily, we can transform our beliefs and our perceptions. The ability to keep our peace and maintain an even-balanced state is one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves.

幸运的是，我们能转变自己的想法和看法。维持内心平和、保持平衡状态的能力是我们给予自己最好的礼物之一。

It is like a warrior⁶. The greatest warrior in history is the one who is calm—if he freaked out, then he would easily lose the battle. In the same way, when our mind is stressed and tense, then we think everyone is attacking us or taking advantage of us, and we can't see anyone or anything objectively or lovingly.

就像战士，历史上最伟大的战士都很冷静——如果他害怕了，就很容易输掉战斗。同样，我们的精神在有压力和紧张的情况下，我们会认为每个人都在针对或利用我们，我们就不能客观或者仁慈地看待人或事。

"Meditation⁷ really helps us not to panic or freak out; it brings us back to this calm ground, where we can see ourselves clearly."

“冥想真的能帮我们不惊慌不退却；它使我们回归平静，以便我们能看清自己。”