10條建議教你在新的一年提升幸福感(雙語)

With so many external pressures can any of us be truly happy? As we welcome in a new year, Rachel Kelly suggests small changes to your life that can have a huge impact on your outlookSmall liefestyle adjustments can make a big difference to your state of mind.Small lifestyle adjustments can make a big difference to your state of mind. Photograph: Radius Images/Alamy.

　　面對很多外部壓力的我們，是真正的開心嗎？當我們迎接新的一年到來之際，雷切爾·凱利建議我們可以在生活中做出一些小的改變，這或許會對你的前景有巨大的影響。

　　What』s top of your list of new year resolutions for 2016? Do more exercise? Eat better? Spend more time with your children? Find a fulfilling career? How about ticking all your boxes and simply be happy?

　　在你2016年的心愿清單里，什麼排在第一呢？多做運動？吃得更好？花更多的時間陪孩子？找到一份可以實現自身價值的事業？何不放下所有，只希望活得開心一點呢？

　　Sadly, you can』t simply 「become」 happy. Happiness is often an indirect consequence of our actions and the way we think. However, the good news is that making even the smallest adjustments can help us attain that elusive state we all aspire to.

　　不幸的是，你不可能輕易變得開心。幸福通常是我們的行動和思考方式的間接結果。然而，好消息是即使做出最小的調整也能幫助我們達到我們一直希望的狀態。

　　Rachel Kelly, author of Walking on Sunshine: 52 Small Steps To Happiness, offers some simple changes we can all make to our lives to improve our state of mind.

　　雷切爾·凱利是《走在陽光里》一書的作者：通向幸福的52個小方法，提供了一些我們每個人都可以做到的簡單的改變，來改善我們的心境。

　　1.Slow down

　　1.慢下來

　　We are human beings, not human doings and it』s very easy to forget that in the frenetic world in which we live. Make a point of setting aside time for a night off and defend space in your diary for doing nothing at all. And if you suffer from FOMO (the fear of missing out), recalibrate and think of it instead as the joy of missing out. A night in can be just what the doctor ordered to maintain a sense of control over busy lives.

　　我們生而為人是一種存在，不是為做事而存在，而且我們很容易就可以暫時忘記我們生存著的這個瘋狂的世界。在某一天晚上留出時間，寫寫日記，什麼也不做，僅此而已。如果你會經歷無所事事的恐慌，那麼就認真體會這種感覺並享受它。在這樣一個晚上正是我們在忙碌生活中去維持自身存在感的一種方式。

　　2. Be mindful

　　2.做一個有心人

　　Build a 「mindful」 activity into your day. It can be any routine activity you perform amid the haste of the day, like hand washing. Slow down and give the task your full attention. You』ll soon start appreciating these small moments of stillness.

　　為你的每一天都做一件有意義的事。可以是你忙碌生活中的例行公事，比如說洗手。放慢速度，對這件事給予充分的注意力。很快你就會對這些靜止的瞬間充滿感激。

　　3. Follow the 60% rule

　　3.遵從60%法則

　　Perfectionism is an illusion, but the pursuit of it is real and can have damaging consequences. So readjust your thinking. If a friendship, relationship, work project is 60% right, then you』re doing well. Beware too, of perfectionism』s close friends: an all or nothing approach; workaholism; fear of failure; and being over-sensitive to the judgement of others.

　　完美主義是一種錯覺，但追求完美是真實的，而且會產生破壞性的結果。所以要調整你的思維。如果一份友誼、一段關係、工作項目是60%讓你滿意，那麼你做的就很好了。同時你也要小心那些有完美主義傾向的親密朋友：他們通常容易走極端；工作狂；害怕失敗；對別人的評價非常敏感。

　　4. Nourish your body

　　4.滋養你的身體

　　It』s a proven fact that the food we eat can have a direct impact on our mood and serotonin levels. So surround yourself with the good stuff: leafy green veg, probiotics, a sprinkle of cinammon and dark chocolate.

　　有明顯證據表明：我們吃下去的食物對我們的情緒和血清素水平有著明顯的影響作用。所以要讓自己吃到好的食物：比如綠葉蔬菜、益生菌、少量桂皮和黑巧克力。

　　5.Unplug

　　5.放下手機

　　The strong glare of a phone』s backlight isn』t conducive to deep sleep. I have instated a wind-down hour before bedtime in which the phone is firmly it its charging station. It』s all about creating the right conditions for your body to feel relaxed and able to sleep.

　　手機的強烈的背光燈對深度睡眠不利。我已經設定了一個漸弱的亮度，從睡前一小時開始，在這個期間手機就會自行充電。這些都可以為你營造一個適宜放鬆身心睡覺的環境。
6. Declutter

　　6.拒絕雜亂

　　Clearing cupboards helps give you a sense of control and owning your own space. It can be life-changing as Marie Kondo maintains in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever. It also helps you enjoy the objects that you』ve consciously decided to keep instead of relegating them to the status of just more stuff.

　　清理碗櫥可以讓你有一種事物盡在掌控之中的成就感，同時也能幫你騰出空間。這就像是日本家政女皇藤麻理惠在《改變一生的整理法則》中強調的一樣：一種去除雜亂的簡單、有效的方式，而且一勞永逸。

　　7. Breathe

　　7.深呼吸

　　When things get too much, try the one-finger-on-the-nose breathing trick. Surreptitiously life a finger against one side of your nose. Then just breathe through the other nostril. By halving the rate at which you breathe, you lower your blood pressure and trigger the body』s relaxation response. Great in the face of strong emotions.

　　當事情太多的時候，試試一根手指放在鼻子上的呼吸技巧。用一根手指捂住一邊的鼻子，然互用另一隻鼻孔呼吸。通過減慢呼吸的速率，可以降低你的血壓並引發身體的放鬆反應。這一方法在情緒不佳時非常有效。

　　8. Redefine failure

　　8.重新定義失敗

　　Stumbling blocks can be stepping stones and failure can teach us so much. Be less risk-averse and adopt the attitude embodied by a cartoon in my office which says: I』ve made so many mistakes, and learnt so much, I』m thinking of making some more.

　　絆腳石可以成為墊腳石，同樣，失敗也可以教會我們很多。不要害怕承擔風險，就像我辦公室里的卡通形象所採取的態度一樣：我已經犯了很多錯誤並且從中學到了很多，我想我還要犯更多的錯誤。

　　9. Exercise

　　9.運動

　　Breaking a sweat, ideally first thing in the morning, releases endorphins and sets you up for the day. Lack of exercise can leave you feeling sluggish and lethargic, so, if you can, start your day right.
在清晨，留些汗水是最好不過的事情了，這會讓你的身體產生內啡肽，同時讓你一整天都充滿能量。缺乏運動會讓你感覺懈怠、沒精打采，所以，如果可以，以正確的方式開始這一天。

　　10. Read a poem aloud

　　10.大聲朗讀詩歌

　　As you do so, your mental to-do list melts away and your thoughts still, focusing entirely on the lyrical sounds of the words. One of my favourite poems is: The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats; I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,/And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Imagine yourself in that bee-loud glade.

　　當你大聲朗讀時，你的腦中的待辦事項逐漸模糊，但你的思想仍在，把你的注意力全部放在抒情的文字上。我最喜歡的一首詩歌是葉芝的《茵湖島》：我將動身前去，去往茵湖島，在那兒搭一個小屋，就用粘土和竹籬。想象自己置身於那樣一個蜜蜂嚶嚶的空地。