第1640期:How to be more resilient

We’ve all heard of IQ, and terms like EQ, which relates to your emotional intelligence, are commonly used. But have you heard of AQ? AQ stands for adversity quotient and measures your ability to deal with the ups and downs of life. Being able to handle these rough patches we all go through is not only important in our personal lives but in our professional lives too. So how can we learn to be more resilient?

我们都听说过 IQ，而 EQ 等与您的情商相关的术语是常用的。但是你听说过AQ吗？AQ 代表逆境商，衡量你应对生活起起落落的能力。能够处理我们都经历过的这些艰难时期不仅在我们的个人生活中很重要，在我们的职业生活中也很重要。那么我们如何才能学会更有弹性呢？

Adverse situations can take us by surprise and shock us. In the workplace, it could be in the form of redundancies, the company we work for going under or being restructured, or even missing out on a promotion. Failed friendships and relationships, financial hard times and even bereavements are things that can occur outside of work. AQ measures our ability to withstand the shocks when life throws curveballs at us – how likely we are to crumble or thrive in these situations. It can be used to predict our attitudes, perseverance, longevity, and the way we learn from changes in environment. In short, our resilience when there is a drastic change.

不利的情况会让我们感到意外和震惊。在工作场所，可能是裁员、我们工作的公司倒闭或重组，甚至错过升职机会。失败的友谊和人际关系、经济困难时期甚至丧亲之痛都是工作之外可能发生的事情。AQ 衡量我们在生活向我们投掷曲线球时承受冲击的能力——我们在这些情况下崩溃或茁壮成长的可能性有多大。它可以用来预测我们的态度、毅力、寿命以及我们从环境变化中学习的方式。简而言之，当发生剧烈变化时，我们的应变能力。

Luckily, there are some steps you can take to help you be more resilient and adaptable in the face of adversity, according to Dr Shahram Heshmat, professor of health economics at the University of Illinois. First, try and find a meaningful goal. Resilient people often have an aim and are able to concentrate more on a desired outcome, seeing negative situations as a bump in the road on the way to achieving their goal. Learning to relax and regulate your emotions is another key step – one way to help you destress is by practising breathing exercises. Likewise, dwelling on things and letting them get to you can cause you to be stressed. See difficulties more as an opportunity to learn and grow emotionally. Finally, make sure you have a good social support network. Being able to talk with someone about the challenges we face can help.

幸运的是，伊利诺伊大学卫生经济学教授 Shahram Heshmat 博士表示，您可以采取一些措施来帮助您在逆境中更有韧性和适应能力。首先，尝试找到一个有意义的目标。有韧性的人通常有一个目标，并且能够更多地专注于期望的结果，将负面情况视为实现目标的道路上的颠簸。学习放松和调节情绪是另一个关键步骤——帮助你减压的一种方法是练习呼吸练习。同样，沉迷于事物并让它们接触到您也会使您感到压力。更多地将困难视为学习和情感成长的机会。最后，确保你有一个良好的社会支持网络。能够与某人谈论我们面临的挑战会有所帮助。

Things happen in life we can’t prevent – and sometimes they aren’t pleasant. But, taking a few steps to be more resilient can make them a little easier to get through.

生活中发生的事情我们无法阻止——有时它们并不令人愉快。但是，采取一些步骤来增强弹性可以使它们更容易通过。

什么是 AQ？聊聊如何提高你的适应力

词汇表

adversity 逆境，不幸
ups and downs 起起伏伏，波折
handle 应对，处理
rough patch 磕磕绊绊，困难时期
take someone by surprise 使某人措手不及
redundancy 裁员
bereavement 亲友丧亡
withstand 经受，承受
curveball 突如其来的难题
crumble 崩溃
thrive 出色应对（困难）
perseverance 坚持不懈
longevity 此处指持续的时长
drastic （变化）巨大的
resilient 适应力强的
adaptable 可适应变化的
in the face of 面对（困难）仍…
meaningful 有意义的
a bump in the road 一次坎坷、挫折
dwell on 念念不忘，耿耿于怀
get to someone 使某人难受
support network 提供支持的关系网络