如何克服針對恐怖威脅的焦慮感
The headlines this week are reminding psychologists of the anxiety and fear that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.
本週的頭條新聞讓心理學家們想起了9·11事件後人們心中縈繞不去的焦慮和恐慌。
Suicide bombers and shootings in Paris. Attacks in Beirut and Nigeria. Threatening videos and public officials holding news conferences. Diverted planes. Suspicious packages. Lockdowns on campuses and fears of mass shooters.
巴黎的自殺式炸彈襲擊和槍擊案。發生在貝魯特和尼日利亞的襲擊事件。恐嚇錄像和政府官員舉行的新聞發佈會。飛機迫降。可疑包裹。封鎖校園以及對槍擊案的恐懼。
“We will not be intimidated, and we will not live in fear,” William J. Bratton, the New York police commissioner, said Wednesday in response to an Islamic State propaganda video.
11月18日，紐約警察局長威廉·J·布拉頓(William J. Bratton)在迴應伊斯蘭國的威脅視頻時表示：“我們不會被嚇倒，也不會生活在恐慌當中。”
The point of terrorism is to terrify, public officials often say in these situations, so the best reaction is to go about your lives.
恐怖主義的目的在於恐嚇，所以，最好的應對方式就是若無其事，繼續過正常的生活——在遇到此類情況時，政府官員們總是這樣說。
But what if you’re still anxious?
但要是你依舊擺脫不了焦慮情緒呢？
Terrorism’s unpredictable nature instills people with anxiety over the lack of control in their fate, Anne Marie Albano, a clinical psychologist and the director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said in an interview.
哥倫比亞大學(Columbia University)焦慮和相關失調症診所(Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders)主任、臨牀心理學家安妮·瑪麗·阿爾巴諾(Anne Marie Albano)在接受採訪時說，恐怖主義的不可預知性使人們喪失了對自己命運的掌控，焦慮因此而產生。
“It’s becoming sort of everyday life,” Dr. Albano said, “knowing that we cannot predict with good accuracy at all when something may happen.”
“我們沒辦法準確地預測將要降臨在自己身上的事情，”阿爾巴諾博士說，“這似乎已經成了日常生活的一部分。”
If you’re feeling anxious, here are a few ways to cope:
如果你感到焦慮，這裏是一些應對之策：
Humans are bad at assessing risk, Martin Seif, a psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders and the fear of flying, said in an interview. This means that when we fear the worst, it’s hard to rationalize that the outcome of, say, a flight or a train ride, is incredibly likely to be safe. But you have to try.
專門治療飛行恐懼和焦慮症的心理學家馬丁·西夫(Martin Seif)在一次採訪中表示：人類非常不善於做風險評估。這意味着我們總擔心會發生最壞的結果，在這種情況下，確實很難理性地認識到乘飛機或者火車出行之類的事其實是非常安全的。但你一定要盡力去做這樣的嘗試。
“Every single anxiety-management technique is based on the premise that your reaction is out of proportion” to the likelihood of danger, Dr. Seif said.
西夫博士說：“所有的焦慮管理技巧都有一個共同的前提，就是你對發生危險的可能性做出了不相稱的反應。”
It is natural to want to follow along with incremental updates on social media and in the news. But it’s important to know that this can heighten your anxiety.
人會很自然地想要去追蹤和關注社交媒體和新聞中的最新進展。但很重要的一點是，要知道這樣會加劇你的焦慮程度。
Designating times to plug into the news — checking Twitter in the morning over coffee, but not listening to the radio while driving your kids to school, for instance — can help you manage anxiety if you are feeling stressed.
你可以在特定的時間來了解新聞——比如，在早上喝咖啡時查看Twitter，但不要在開車送孩子上學的路上聽收音機——如果你感到緊張的話，這樣做可以幫助你緩解焦慮情緒。
This will help you balance a realistic and credible threat with information that is sensationalized, Dr. Albano said, “or a rush to report something or talk about something that doesn’t have the impact that you would think it has.”
這將有助於你在真實可信的威脅與聳人聽聞的消息之間找到平衡，阿爾巴諾博士說，“不至於迫不及待地去報告或者談論一些你以爲會造成重大影響但其實並沒有那麼嚴重的東西。”
A guide to dealing with terrorism released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation encourages closing your eyes and taking deep breaths to feel calmer. Taking a walk or talking to a close friend can also help.
美國聯邦調查局(Federal Bureau of Investigation)發佈的一份應對恐怖主義的指南鼓勵人們閉上眼睛，深呼吸讓自己平靜下來。散步或者與密友聊天也有一定幫助。
The guide also recommends avoiding alcohol and drugs, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods — basic self-care guidelines that help reduce stress.
它還建議人們經常鍛鍊、食用健康的食品，不要飲酒或吸毒等——這些都是非常基本的有助於減輕壓力的自我保健指南。
It’s a good idea to draft a plan that details how you’ll get in contact with your family if something happens. But remember that you likely will not need it, Dr. Albano said.
列一份計劃表，詳細說明萬一發生意外時要如何與您的家人取得聯繫，這是個好主意。但是，阿爾巴諾博士說，請記住：你很可能根本用不着它。
If you have children, the American Psychological Association recommends asking them how they are feeling about the news. Keep in mind that it is possible for children to be influenced by news reports and adult conversations.
美國心理學會(American Psychological Association)建議，如果你有孩子，請詢問一下他們對新聞的感想。但需要注意的是，新聞報道和成年人之間的談話都可能影響到孩子。
Dr. Albano said that a primary worry in the field of psychology is people “going out of their way to be so safe that it shrinks their world.
阿爾巴諾博士說，心理學界最擔心的問題是，人們“刻意地去追求安全，以至於大大壓縮了自己的生活空間”。
“Terrorists thrive on this kind of thing,” she added. “They want to see the population change their practices.”
“恐怖分子們巴不得你這樣，”她補充道。“他們就希望看到民衆受到他們的影響，被他們所改變。”
There is a particular concern that going out of your way to avoid interacting with strangers — by taking mass transit, for example — can stoke fear and anxiety in children, she said.
此外，她說，還有一點令專家們尤其擔心：刻意避免與陌生人互動（例如，搭乘公共交通工具等）會引發孩子們的恐懼和焦慮心理。
The antidote to this is keeping a routine that enables you to meet people who don’t look like you, people who you wouldn’t otherwise know.
對此的對策是：養成習慣，去結識陌生人，尤其是與你不在一個圈子裏的人。
“Parents and adults have to similarly look around at one another and get to know people,” she said.
“同樣地，家長和成年人也需要將目光轉向外面，多多與周圍的人交流，”她說。
Dr. Albano praised the people of Paris for returning to cafes.
阿爾巴諾博士對巴黎人民回到咖啡館的行爲讚譽有加。
“That was a message to us from Giuliani after 9/11,” she recalled. “ ‘Get back to the ballgames. Get out there. Let’s go.’ ”
“9·11事件之後，”她回憶道，“當時的紐約市市長朱利安尼(Giuliani)對公衆們這樣呼籲道：‘去看球賽。大膽走出去。讓我恩回到正常生活中去。”
