What would you say when you are under work pressure，“stressed out and frantic1）”or“challenged and energized2）”？There's very little physiological difference between the two，says a growing contingent3） of experts who claim work stress has an upside.These experts believe that stress can strengthen you or tear you down.In most cases，you can choose.The following are 8 ways to perform better under pressure suggested by the experts.
Give stress a good name Why resent work stress——it's an indicator that your career is advancing.Think of a heavy work load as an exciting opportunity to push yourself，learn new skills and show your mettle.Complaining depletes your energy；instead greet an overloaded4） day with optimism.Tell yourself，“This is a challenge I am capable of handling.”
Put it in perspective Sometimes it's impossible to talk about the positive side of stress——say your computer crashes and you lose valuable work——but you can moderate your reaction.Rate your distress on a scale of1to 10，1being mild irritation and 10extreme panic or anger.Now，rank the importance of the situation from 1（a notice）to 10（you're fired）。If your distress ranks higher than the seriousness of the situation，ask yourself：Is this something I will remember in four years，four months，four days？Then downshift your response accordingly，saving your emotional energy for disasters.
Alternate tasks Blocking out an entire day or week for a high－priority project increases your anxiety without boosting your productivity——in fact，you may lose perspective and focus.You need to create a rhythm to your work to recharge.Every 60to 90minutes，take a break from your primary activity and do something different for15minutes.If you've been reading at your desk，walk into someone's office to brainstorm on another project.Don't worry about breaking your concentration.You'll return to your task refreshed and determined.
Shake a leg Regular exercise is critical to stress management，and mini workouts during the day can release pent－up5） energy.Most people tend to neglect some exercise which you can actually do everyday，such as walk to your or someone's office instead of taking the elevator；stand up and stretch your back and neck muscles while you are on the phone，and so on.
Straighten up your desk Rearranging pencils may not be a form of procrastination6） after all.It has been proved that tiding your desk is one of the most common，and effective，ways workers calm and focus themselves.Organizing helps people reduce tension and get into a productive frame of mind.
Refuel Tempted to skip meals and pull late nights when you feel the heat at work？Both could lead to burnout.Get six to eight hours of sleep，and go to bed at the same hour every night.Avoid bi g meals but munch high－carbon，low－fat snacks every few hours.Lay off the alcohol，which can disturb your sleep patterns.
Tackle your fears Pressure doesn't paralyze you，fear does.Often，your stress comes from worrying rather than from the work assignment or problem you're grappling with.Itemize every element of a project that has you scared.Are you worried about a presentation because you've never spoken in front of a group of people，you don't know what to wear and the slide projector isn't working correctly？Write down these fears and methodically address each one.
Spend time with your friends During high－pressure periods，don't lock yourself in a room with your work.Socializing with friends and colleagues，getting together with people who make you laugh and change your perspective，will revitalize and inspire you.You want positive social support，so offer your friends progress reports and ask them for feedback7），solution and encouragement.
工作壓力之下你會怎麼説？是“喘不過氣，忙亂不堪”還是“面對挑戰，幹勁十足”？兩者之間的生理差別微乎其微，越來越多的專家如是認為，他們聲稱工作壓力有其積極的作用。這些專家認為，壓力可以使你更堅強，也可以將你摧垮，在多數情況下你可以選擇。以下是專家建議的8種方法助你在壓力之下表現得更好。
為壓力正名 為什麼怨恨壓力————它實際是在表明你的事業有了進展。應視重任在身為難得的機會：推動你前行，掌握新技能，表現自己的勇氣。抱怨會耗盡你的精力；應以樂觀的態度迎接超負荷的每一天。告訴自己：“這是一個我有能力應付的挑戰。”
要有分寸感 有時談壓力積極的一面是不可能的——比如説，你的電腦壞了，你丟失了重要資料——但你能夠控制你的反應。將你的苦惱分為1至10個等級，1級是輕度的急躁，而10級是極度的慌亂或憤怒。然後再把局勢的嚴重性分成1級（得到一份通知）至10級（你被解僱）。如果你對你的痛苦的打分高於你對局勢的.嚴重性的打分，你該捫心自問：對這件事我4年後、4個月後或是4天后是否仍會耿耿於懷？然後相應地將你對你自己的反應的打分調低，從而將自己的情感能量留到日後去應付災難。
交替工作 整整一天乃至整整一週馬不停蹄地只忙於一件第一優先的工作而別的什麼都不幹，只會加劇你的緊張情緒，而不能讓你多出活兒——事實上你很可能看不到各項工作之間的相互關係及焦點所在。你需要為自己的工作創造一種節奏以不斷給自己充電。每1小時至1個半小時後，就應從主要工作中抽身出來放鬆一下，用15分鐘做點別的什麼事情。如果你一直伏案閲讀，就去另一同事的辦公室為另一計劃想些點子。不必擔心這樣會打斷你的注意力。回到辦公桌後你會感到精神煥發，幹勁十足。
活動活動 經常性的體育鍛鍊對控制壓力十分重要，而每天點點滴滴的體育活動也可以釋放被抑制的能量。大多數人往往忽視了那些實際上你每天都可以做的活動，比如説，不乘電梯而是步行去自己或他人的辦公室；打電話時站起身來同時伸展一下背部和頸部肌肉，等等。
收拾整理辦公桌 重新安排文具用品也許並非什麼浪費時間之舉。業已證明整理辦公桌是工作人員用來鎮靜自己，集中精力的最普通最有效的方法之一。整理辦公桌之類的活動能幫助你緩解緊張，並使你事半功倍。
加油 工作高壓使你想要廢寢忘食以擠出時間？這兩件事都只會使你精疲力竭。每天保證6至8小時的睡眠，且每晚同一時間就寢。避免大吃大喝，但每隔幾小時吃一些高碳水化合物低脂肪的食品。不要喝酒，那東西會攪亂你的睡眠規律。
克服恐懼 壓力不會使你癱瘓，但恐懼卻能把你壓垮。你的壓力常常源於憂慮而非你的工作任務或你正設法應付的問題。詳細列出某一工作項目中令你緊張的每一細節。你擔心你的口頭報告是因為你從未在一羣人面前發過言？你不知道該穿些什麼？幻燈機無法正常工作？把這些擔憂寫下來並逐一予以解決。
花時間與朋友在一起 在壓力重重的日子裏，不要把自己鎖起來埋頭苦幹。和朋友、同事交往，與那些能讓你歡笑、能改變你看法的人聊一聊，那樣會使你恢復活力，信心倍增。你需要有力的外界支持，所以向你的朋友們談談你的工作進展情況，徵求他們的意見，尋求解決問題的辦法，尋求他們的鼓勵。
1. frantic adj. 忙亂不堪的
2. energized adj. 有活力的，有幹勁的
3. contingent n. 名額，部分
4. overloaded adj. 超負荷的
5. pent-up adj. 幽閉的， 被壓抑的
6. procrastination n. 延遲， 拖延
7. feedback n. 反饋