英国哲学家Alan Watts | 如何解决焦虑情绪

So then let’s consider first of all, what is a mind in the grip of vicious circles. Well, one of the most obvious instances that we all know is the phenomenon of worry. The doctor tells you that you that you have to have an operation. And that has been set up, so that automatically everybody worries about it.

我们先来思考一下恶性循环的情绪怪圈是什么。众所周知，最典型的是焦虑情绪。打个比方，医生通知你，你必须接受手术。自然而然，所有人都会对做手术忧心忡忡。

But since worrying takes away your appetite and your sleep. It’s not good for you. So the doctor tells you not to worry, because he wants you on the operating table in a state of good health. Well rested etc.

可这种担忧的情绪会让你辗转反侧，食欲不振，对你的身心健康毫无益处。医生安慰你说不用担心，因为他希望躺在手术台上的你能拥有良好的身心状态，医生会要你好好休息之类的。

But you can’t stop worrying, and therefore you get additionally worried that you are worrying. And therefore will not be in the right shape to be on the operating table. And then furthermore, because that is quite absurd. And you’re mad at yourself because you do it. You are worried because you worry because you worry...That is a vicious circle.

但是你根本没办法停止焦虑啊，而你又因为自己的焦虑情绪从而平添额外的焦虑感。可你这样的心态并不适合做手术。而且可笑的是，你因为无法可控控制焦虑情绪而对自己失望至极，你为自己的焦虑而焦虑，从而又更加焦虑，这就是恶性循环。

So now, can you allow your mind to be quiet? Isn’t it difficult? Because the mind seems to be like a monkey jumping up and down and jabbering all the time. Once you’ve learned to think you can’t stop. And an enormous number of people devote their lives to keeping their minds busy. And feel extremely uncomfortable with silence.

那么，到底如何摆脱焦虑，让心绪平静下来呢？难度很大，不是吗？因为人在焦虑时，思绪像极了一只猴子，无时无刻不再脑子里叽叽喳喳，上蹿下跳。因为此刻你已认输投降，任凭自己情绪失控。有很多人会选择用其他繁杂的琐事麻痹自己，你会特别害怕安静。

When you’re alone, nobody’s saying anything, there’s nothing to do. This worry, this lack of distraction. I’m left alone with myself, and I want to get away from myself. I’m always wanting to get away from myself. That’s why I go to the movies, that’s why I read mystery stories. That’s why I go after the girls or anything that you do or get drunk or whatever I don’t want to be with myself.

当你独处时周围没有任何说话声音时，你便开始焦虑，找不到其他事情让自己分心，你一个人呆着，却想要逃离自己，我总是试图逃脱自己的魔掌。所以我才去看电影，读烧脑小说，追求爱情或者其他一切，或是将自己灌醉。换句话说，我不想和自己单独相处。

I feel queer so well why do you want to run away from yourself. What’s so bad about it? Why do you want to forget this? Why do you want to become absorbed? Because you are addicted to thoughts. This is a drug, real dangerous money. Compulsive thinking, going on and on and on and on and on, all the time.

我只是感到奇怪，为什么你想逃离，不愿和自己相处呢？这有什么不好呢？为什么你想抹去焦虑？为什么你想通过其他事情转移注意力？因为你正沉醉于自己的情绪当中，这就是毒品和危险的金钱交易。这种强迫性的受困于自己情绪的思考一直以来始终存在。

It’s a habit, so there’s a difficulty about stopping that activity. And you really have to stop it if you want to be sane. Because if I talk all the time, I don’t hear what anyone else has to say. And then I’ll end up in the situation of having nothing to talk about but my own talking.

这是一种个人习惯，所以也难以停止。但若要保持神志清醒就必须停止这种想法。打个比方，如果你一直不停地讲话就听不到别人的声音，这样你最终的结果便是无法与他人交流，就只能听到自己说话的声音。

Or so in exactly the same way. If I think all the time I won’t have anything to think about except thoughts. And that’s the academic fallacy. See when you add books to the library. The great many of the books that are added to the library are books about books. They’re not necessarily books about life, some of them are. But most of the books especially PHD dissertations are books about books of our books of our books, and that doesn’t really get us very far.

所以同样的道理，如果你总是深陷于无时无刻的自我思考当中，那就无法思考任何其他的事物，脑子里只剩下自己的情绪，而这也能解释一个学术界的谬论，那就是当你在图书馆上架图书时，你会发现图书馆里许多书籍的内容都是关于其他书本的，而不是关于人生的，除了少数书籍外。尤其是大多数由博士生论文编撰而成的书籍，更类似于文献综述，从这本书引用到那本书，再引用到另一本书，这样就无法让我们从书中获得人生启蒙。

So in order to have something to think about. There are times when you simply must stop thinking. Well, how do you do that? The first rule is don’t try to. Because if you do, you will be like someone trying to make rough water smooth with a flat iron. And all that will do will stir it up. So in the same way as a muddy turbulent pool quiets itself when left alone. You have to know how to leave your mind alone. It will quiet itself.

那么为了能让自己可以思考其他事物，有时候你必须从沉醉于自己的情绪中跳脱出来。那么该如何做到呢？第一个法则是：不要试图去刻意控制情绪。因为这种做法就像是在妄图用熨斗把波涛起伏的水面熨烫平整，这样只会弄得一团糟。就像是浑浊不堪而又汹涌湍急的一汪池水会自己慢慢平静下来。因此你要学会如何不去干预，也不去打扰自己的思绪，慢慢地，它便会自己平息下来。