当你不再对抗焦虑，而是尝试与它和解…

 主播：Flora（中国）+ Erin（美国）

 歌曲：Out There

我们来聊一个在不同文化背景下都能引起人们共鸣的一个话题—anxiety（焦虑）。

Anxiety is something most of us experience regularly. Whether it's work, school, relationships, or the day-to-day stress of life, anxiety tends to creep in (悄悄蔓延). 真的是生活的方方面面都有可能滋生焦虑。

关于处理anxiety，大家有想过：不去fight it（和它做对抗），而是和它make peace（和平相处）吗？Today, we’ll talk about how to accept and manage anxiety in a healthier way (今天，我们将讨论如何以一种更健康的方式来接受和管理焦虑).

01. Sources and Manifestation of Anxiety 焦虑的来源和表现

Anxiety can come from all kinds of sources. Relationships, work, school, and just navigating (驾驭) life can all contribute. It’s not uncommon to feel like we’re constantly juggling too much at once (我们经常会觉得自己要同时处理太多事情).

But anxiety isn’t just about what's going on around us; it affects us in various ways. We might feel physical symptoms (身体上的症状)—like a racing heart (心跳加速) or tension (紧张)—or find ourselves stuck in cycles of worry (陷入了一个无限担忧的循环中).

And that brings us to the heart of today’s discussion: how can we effectively manage anxiety (如何有效地管理焦虑)?

We’ll explore techniques like cognitive restructuring (认知重组), journaling (写日记), and brainstorming solutions (头脑风暴解决方案) to help manage those overwhelming feelings.

02. The Right Mindset 正确的心态

It’s important to recognize that these sources are part of being human, not something we need to completely eliminate (需要完全消除). But, how we react to them makes a huge difference.

Flora can relate to that on a personal level. There was a time when she tried to tackle her anxiety head-on, thinking that if she just fought it hard enough, it would go away. But then she realized that the more she resisted her anxiety, the stronger it seemed to become. 

Eventually, she learned to acknowledge her feelings instead of battling them (承认自己的感受而不是压抑). She thinks this is a very important mindset for us to have when dealing with anxiety.

03. How to Manage Anxiety Effectively？如何有效管理焦虑？

(1) Cognitive Restructuring (认知重组)

To manage anxiety, one key approach is challenging our thoughts. 其实很多时候我们的认知或者想法和事实是有很大差距的。With a little bit of reasoning (稍做推理), you may find that the truth is actually far from what you thought.

进行认知重组的时候可以问自己一些问题：Is my worry logical（我的担心是符合逻辑的吗）? What’s the evidence behind it（这背后有证据吗）? 总之就是不要让你的emotion（情绪）占据自己的大脑。

You might find that a lot of what you’re anxious about is unlikely to happen, or that you’re exaggerating the problem in your mind (你夸大了心中的问题).

(2) Journaling (写日记)

Writing things down helps make the problem feel more concrete and manageable (更加具体和易于管理). When you put your thoughts on paper, it’s easier to break them down and find a solution.

当你有焦虑却不表达的时候，那它就成为了一种abstract feeling (抽象的感受)，会让你觉得it's difficult to manage，这样的话只会加深焦虑。那么这时候通过journaling把它具象化，就会打破你对这种未知抽象的恐惧。

(3) Brainstorming Solutions (头脑风暴解决方案)

When faced with a problem, listing out as many solutions as you can (尽可能多地列出解决方法) is a helpful way to ease anxiety (缓解焦虑). It reduces that feeling of uncertainty and helps you regain a sense of control (找回掌控感).

这个其实是可以刻意练习的。You might feel a bit lost at first, but once you open your mind (打开思路), you'll find that there are at least three solutions to your problem (一个问题至少有三种解决方法). It also calms your mind and helps it think of something else.

04. Classification of Anxiety (焦虑的分类)

(1) Acute Anxiety (急性焦虑)

Sometimes, we have acute anxiety, which comes on suddenly, like before a big presentation (一场大型演讲之前). 此外，在日常生活中大家轮流发言交流自己的想法的时候也有可能产生acute anxiety。So what can we do about this?

在这种情况出现时，deep breathing（深呼吸）or distracting yourself for a short period（短暂地分散一下注意力）都是比较有效的。

如果大家想要直接从源头上减少acute anxiety的话，Flora的建议是：Create more opportunities for yourself to deal with acute anxiety (多给自己创造一些能去应对急性焦虑的机会). 次数累积到一定程度之后，你可能就会惊喜地发现你没有之前那么紧张和焦虑了。

In fact, this method could take a lot of courage in the beginning. But when you actually take that step, you'll realize it's not that hard. It is like exposure therapy (暴露疗法). The more you do it, the less scary it is. 

(2) Chronic Anxiety (慢性焦虑)

Chronic anxiety is probably more likely to bother us, and we often have a hard time dealing with it. If it’s chronic anxiety, where the feelings build up over time (随着时间的推移而积累), it’s important to approach it differently.

First, adjust your mindset (调整心态). 千万不要试着去suppress or avoid the anxiety（压抑或者回避焦虑），这只会适得其反。

其实anxiety是大脑对我们的一种保护。When we feel anxious, it's our brain reminding us to react ahead of time to unknown dangers (提醒我们提前对未知的危险做出反应) so we can better protect ourselves.

Whether we are humans or other animals, when faced with a threat we either choose to run or fight. Either choice requires our bodies to function at maximum capacity (都需要我们的身体发挥最大功能) to protect us from harm.

自古以来都是这样的。产生焦虑并不是错误，而且是我们身体的一种protective mechanism（保护机制）。

After realizing this, you can consistently do things that boost your mood (持续地做一些能改善情绪的事情). It could be exercising, connecting with loved ones, or taking breaks during stressful moments.

By balancing out life’s negatives with positive actions, you’ll prevent anxiety from becoming overwhelming. 当你生活中积极的事比重变大之后，心情自然也会变好了。

At the end of the day, anxiety is part of life, but it doesn’t have to control us. The key is learning how to approach it with the right mindset (关键是学习如何以正确的心态来处理它), accept it for what it is, and find practical (实用的) ways to manage it.

So next time you feel anxious, remember: you don’t need to fight it. Instead, try to make peace with it (尝试和它和解), understand where it’s coming from, and use the tools we talked about today to take back control. And remember, it's perfectly okay to seek support (寻求帮助), whether from friends, family, or professionals. 

We hope today’s episode helps you feel more empowered to face anxiety head-on and find balance in your life.

欢迎在评论区告诉我们：你都有哪些管理焦虑的方法呢？