You’ve been in back-to-back meetings for what seems like two weeks, the unread messages in your inbox have hit triple digits, and you can’t recall the last time you got more than five hours of sleep. Between work, workouts, your extracurricular activities, and attempting to maintain your relationships—you’re running on empty. And if one more item gets added to your to-do list, your head might explode。連軸轉(zhuǎn)式的會(huì)議似乎都持續(xù)兩周了，收件箱里未讀短信都堆積成三位數(shù)了，你也記不起來(lái)上次睡夠5個(gè)小時(shí)是在什么時(shí)候了。你空著肚子往返于工作、鍛煉、閑暇之余的應(yīng)酬活動(dòng)，以及維持人際關(guān)系之間。如果此時(shí)還要再加辦一件事，可能你的頭就要炸開(kāi)了。

In our day-to-day lives, stress is inevitable. But when it’s left unmanaged, it can wreak havoc on our mental and physical health. So, when things get extra-crazy, that’s exactly when you need to stop, slow down, and de-stress. We know, we know—you don’t have time. But even though spending a day at the spa or jetting off to a luxurious beach vacation aren’t options, there are plenty of other ways to take a breather。我們的日常生活中難免有壓力。如果留著它不處理，那它會(huì)對(duì)我們的身心造成極大的傷害。當(dāng)事態(tài)變得格外不正常時(shí)，這時(shí)候你就需要停下來(lái)、慢下來(lái)、緩解壓力了。好吧，我們知道你很忙碌。雖然我們做不到花一天的時(shí)間做SPA，或是坐飛機(jī)到一個(gè)海灘邊度假，但仍有很多種讓我們喘口氣的方式。

Whether you have five minutes between meetings or can spare a few hours, here are some quick and simple methods to bring some calm into your day。不管在會(huì)議期間是有5分鐘或是有幾小時(shí)的休息時(shí)間，這里有幾個(gè)簡(jiǎn)易的方法可以讓你冷靜下來(lái)。

1. If You Have 5 Minutes如果你有5分鐘

A lot of us tend to switch to staring at our phones when we have a momentary lull, but consciously doing nothing is a better way to unwind. Even if you only have a few minutes to decompress, you still can relax your mind and body with some simple techniques. If you’re at work, take a quick break from staring at your computer monitor to stand up, stretch, and take a few deep breaths. Or, if you’re somewhere else, say, waiting for a train or at the doctor’s office, close your eyes, pop in your headphones, and just take a minute to slow down. Have a hard time sitting still? Do something totally mindless, like cleaning the receipts out of your purse。當(dāng)我們可以休息片刻時(shí)，我們很多人會(huì)把精力轉(zhuǎn)移到我們的手機(jī)上，盯著它們看。但這里有一種更好的放松方式就是什么都不做。即使你只有幾分鐘時(shí)間來(lái)減壓，你仍然可以通過(guò)一些簡(jiǎn)單的技巧放松你的大腦和身體。如果是在辦公桌旁，那就不要再盯著電腦看了，請(qǐng)站起來(lái)伸展一下，做幾次深呼吸。如果你是在其它地方，比如說(shuō)是等火車(chē)或在醫(yī)生的辦公室里等待，請(qǐng)閉上你的眼睛，戴上耳麥，只需要一會(huì)兒工夫去放松自己。覺(jué)得靜靜地坐著是一種煎熬嗎?那就做一些不需要?jiǎng)幽X的事，比如清理一下你錢(qián)包里的票據(jù)。

These quick fixes can also help ease your mind while traveling, before a big presentation, or in any other scenario that makes you feel nervous or overwhelmed。這些小竅門(mén)也可以幫助你放松大腦，比如說(shuō)在旅行時(shí)、在一場(chǎng)重大的演講前、或是在其它任何你會(huì)感到緊張焦慮的場(chǎng)合。

2. If You Have 15 Minutes如果你有15分鐘

When you have few more minutes—a break between meetings or time for quick lunch—taking a short walk is a good way to clear your head, even if it’s just around your office building. Getting away from your current environment gives your mind something new to focus on, plus even a little bit of exercise provides endorphins that elevate your mood。如果時(shí)間稍微多一點(diǎn)，比如會(huì)議之間的休息或者一頓簡(jiǎn)單中飯的午餐時(shí)間，那走一走也會(huì)是清清大腦思路的一種理想方式，即使就只是圍著你的辦公大樓走一圈。從你當(dāng)前的工作環(huán)境中擺脫出來(lái)，讓頭腦關(guān)注一些新事物，再加上一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的鍛煉，所有的這些做法都有助于釋放提升情緒的內(nèi)啡肽。

You can also take 15 minutes to call to a friend or family member, read a magazine, or scribble some thoughts down in a journal. Or, try something that requires even less energy, like browsing gorgeous vacation destinations on Pinterest. The key is to separate yourself from everything that’s wearing you down and find a moment of levity. Even a short escape from the grind can make you refreshed (and more productive) when you return。此外，你可以花15分鐘給朋友或是家人打個(gè)電話，或讀讀雜志，或是把一些想法隨手寫(xiě)在日志本上。你還可以試試其它不花精力的事，比如登錄照片分享網(wǎng)站Pinterest，瀏覽度假勝地。關(guān)鍵要把你自己從勞心勞力的事情中分離開(kāi)來(lái)，為自己找一刻清閑。即使是短暫的“回避”，當(dāng)你再回來(lái)時(shí)，你會(huì)感到更加神清氣爽。

3. If You Have an Hour如果你有一個(gè)小時(shí)

When I have a good chunk of time to myself, I sometimes feel obligated to use it to get other things done, like errands or phone calls—but I’ve learned that the only way to use that time to truly reduce my stress level is to do something totally for me. A yoga class or quick burst of exercise is a good method to calm your spinning head, or enjoy some light-hearted TV or an ice cream or coffee date with a friend。當(dāng)我有一塊完整的時(shí)間，我常常會(huì)把它用來(lái)做其它事，像一些瑣事或是打電話之類(lèi)。但實(shí)踐證明，能減壓的唯一方式是為自己做些事。上一堂瑜伽課，或是欣賞一些輕松愉快的電視節(jié)目，或是和朋友相約吃冰淇淋、喝咖啡。

You could also spend an hour playing with the puppies at the pet store, indulging in the total silence of a library, or browsing for random treasures at a thrift store. And sometimes, what you need most to decompress might just be sitting by yourself and people-watching while you let your brain slow down。當(dāng)然你也可以在寵物店和小狗玩上一小時(shí)，或是去圖書(shū)館享受那里的寧?kù)o，或是去二手店里看看能不能淘到好東西，但有時(shí)最能減壓的一種方式是一個(gè)人自己坐著，看看其他人，這時(shí)大腦也放松下來(lái)了。

4. If You Have a Half-Day如果你有半天時(shí)間

The next time you have even a half of a weekend day to yourself, try using it to get outside your traditional routine and duties. Take time to indulge in a nice experience that lets you relax and regroup. Take a day trip, attend a concert, go shopping, or treat yourself to a pedicure. In nicer weather, being outdoors—gardening, jogging, or walking your dog—can be a great way to spend time with zero stress (or cost). If you can do so without severe withdrawals, leave your iPhone at home (or at least silenced) to get the most out of your “me time。”下次如果你有半天的休息時(shí)間，試試一日游、聽(tīng)聽(tīng)音樂(lè)會(huì)、購(gòu)物或是做個(gè)足療。天氣比較好的話，待在戶外會(huì)是一種很棒的方式，無(wú)壓力零成本，比如修剪花花草草、慢跑、遛狗等。如果不會(huì)造成太嚴(yán)重的后果，那么你還可以把手機(jī)留在家里(至少可以是靜音狀態(tài))，好好享受一段屬于你自己的時(shí)光!

It’s safe to assume that stress is a normal part of life for all of us, but the key is making sure it doesn’t run our lives or grow out of control. Even when free time is a luxury, carving out a few minutes or hours to calm down is an important part of self-care. So there you have it—an excuse to take a coffee break or cancel your plans tonight, and finally make some time for you。坦白說(shuō)有壓力是我們所有人正常生活狀態(tài)里的一部分，重要的是我們不能讓壓力攪亂我們的生活，或者讓壓力超出了我們的控制范圍。即使空閑時(shí)間是奢侈的，也請(qǐng)擠出幾分鐘或幾小時(shí)放松自己，這是自我愛(ài)護(hù)的重要部分。那么你就有了理由，喝杯咖啡或是撤銷(xiāo)今晚計(jì)劃的理由，最終你擁有了屬于你自己的時(shí)間。