Calm Down! Tips for Regaining² Your Cool Quickly

镇定下来！使你快速镇定下来的几个小贴士

Tear ducts. They’re not my friends. I don’t send them Christmas cards. I don’t invite them to parties. Still, unbidden and unwanted, tears have a tendency to well up in my eyes whenever I’m having a difficult conversation with someone. And, though it’s quite rare, I’ve been known to totally blow a gasket or two. Let’s face it, that red-faced, exploding-at-the-seams angry look isn’t exactly fashion forward.

眼泪。是我不喜欢的。我不希望在圣诞节看到眼泪。我也不希望在聚会上看到眼泪。然而，有时，每当我与某人有不愉快的会话时，眼泪就会自觉不自觉地在眼眶中打转。尽管这种现象不多见，但是人们还是认为我很生气。要让我们知道的是，脸红脖子粗、看上去很气愤的样子是不受欢迎。

Emotions are good things. They help steer³ our choices and, when worn on our sleeves, give others clues to how we’re feeling. But sometimes emotions—such as traitor⁴ tears, a red-hot temper, or panic-inducing anxiety—are a downright pain in the rear. When high emotions get in the way of your professionalism, prevent you from effectively communicating, or cause your mascara to create a raccoon effect, it’s time to take control.

情绪是个好东西。它们有助于我们做出选择。当我们累坏了的时候，很容易使人看出我们的感受。但是，有时候，情绪------比如出卖我们的眼泪，非常激动地情绪、或是那种诱导恐慌的焦虑------都一目了然说明了背后的痛苦。当你的这种情绪影响到你的职业、这种情绪不能使你有效地与人沟通、或是这种情绪使你的睫毛膏产生了一种浣熊效应的时候，你就应该要学会控制你的情绪了。

Keeping Cool in the Heat of the Moment

在最要爆发时，学会保持镇静。

As calm as we may try to keep our lives, there’s one thing that’s for sure. @#!& happens. Grocery clerks put bottles of orange juice on top of egg cartons. Speed-demon drivers cut you off on the highway. Checks bounce when your significant other forgets to write a withdrawal⁵ in the register. Bosses assign impossible late-night tasks. And it’s important to keep yourself together when everything falls apart. Here’s how:

有一点是毫无疑问的，在生活不论发生什么样的事情，我们都要尽可能地保持镇静。商店里的售货员们将桔汁水瓶摆放在应该摆放鸡蛋的纸箱中；在高速路上，那些喜欢开快车的人切断了你的路；当你的另一半在登记簿上忘记写撤销两个字的时候，你的支票又一次被递送过来；老板们要你完成那些即便是你干到深夜都不可能完成的工作等等情况。 当每件事情都不对劲的时候，重要的是，你自己要保持镇静。下面是一些具体做法：

* Take a breather. As simple as it sounds, take a few seconds to breathe. You can also try repeating a calming phrase (either out loud or in your mind). Sometimes a few seconds is all it takes to get a better rein⁶ on your emotions. You don’t have to swallow emotions away—just keep them in check so you’re controlling them and they aren’t controlling you.

休息片刻。就像听起来那样简单，用几秒钟休息一下。你也可以尝试重复那些可以使你平静下来的只言片语（大声说出来或是在心里默念）。有时，这短短的几秒钟是使你情绪得到较好的约束所需要的。不要把这种情绪压抑下去------只是让你的情绪得到控制。因此，是你在控制着你的情绪，而不是情绪控制着你。

* ITCH⁷. When you want to scream and yell, instead ITCH. Can you just Ignore the situation at hand? If not, then Take control, Calm yourself, and Handle the situation properly.

渴望。当你想要大喊大叫的时候，用渴望来替代。你能对你眼前的这种情况视而不见吗？如果不能，那么要采取控制、使自己镇静下来并且恰当地处理这种情况。

* Change the scenery. If possible, remove yourself from the situation at hand, even if it’s only for a few minutes. If you’re in a stressful meeting at work that’s causing you to feel angry or anxious, excuse yourself to use the restroom. Then use those few minutes to regain¹ control. If you’re having an argument with your spouse⁸, tell him or her you need a minute and step outside for some fresh air. A little change of scenery can help you gain some perspective and recharge you so you can handle the situation calmly.

改变一下周围的环境。如果有可能，离开眼前的这个地方，即使是短短的几分钟也可以。如果你上班时正在参加一个让你感到气愤或是焦虑的会议，找个借口到休息室里换个环境。然后，利用这几分钟重新获得镇静。如果你正在和配偶争吵，告诉他或他你需要几分钟的时间到外面呼吸一下新鲜空气。周围环境的这种小小改变会使你获得一些新的想法，给自己充电，这样，你就可以平静地处理眼前的事情。