如何克服针对恐怖威胁的焦虑感

The headlines this week are reminding psychologists of the anxiety and fear that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

本周的头条新闻让心理学家们想起了9·11事件后人们心中萦绕不去的焦虑和恐慌。

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.

巴黎的自杀式炸弹袭击和枪击案。发生在贝鲁特和尼日利亚的袭击事件。恐吓录像和政府官员举行的新闻发布会。飞机迫降。可疑包裹。封锁校园以及对枪击案的恐惧。

“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，纽约警察局长威廉·J·布拉顿(William J. Bratton)在回应伊斯兰国的威胁视频时表示：“我们不会被吓倒，也不会生活在恐慌当中。”

The point of terrorism is to terrify, public officials often say in these situations, so the best reaction is to go about your lives.

恐怖主义的目的在于恐吓，所以，最好的应对方式就是若无其事，继续过正常的生活——在遇到此类情况时，政府官员们总是这样说。

But what if you’re still anxious?

但要是你依旧摆脱不了焦虑情绪呢？

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.

哥伦比亚大学(Columbia University)焦虑和相关失调症诊所(Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders)主任、临床心理学家安妮·玛丽·阿尔巴诺(Anne Marie Albano)在接受采访时说，恐怖主义的不可预知性使人们丧失了对自己命运的掌控，焦虑因此而产生。

“It’s becoming sort of everyday life,” Dr. Albano said, “knowing that we cannot predict with good accuracy at all when something may happen.”

“我们没办法准确地预测将要降临在自己身上的事情，”阿尔巴诺博士说，“这似乎已经成了日常生活的一部分。”

If you’re feeling anxious, here are a few ways to cope:

如果你感到焦虑，这里是一些应对之策：

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.

专门治疗飞行恐惧和焦虑症的心理学家马丁·西夫(Martin Seif)在一次采访中表示：人类非常不善于做风险评估。这意味着我们总担心会发生最坏的结果，在这种情况下，确实很难理性地认识到乘飞机或者火车出行之类的事其实是非常安全的。但你一定要尽力去做这样的尝试。

“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.

西夫博士说：“所有的焦虑管理技巧都有一个共同的前提，就是你对发生危险的可能性做出了不相称的反应。”

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.

人会很自然地想要去追踪和关注社交媒体和新闻中的最新进展。但很重要的一点是，要知道这样会加剧你的焦虑程度。

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.

你可以在特定的时间来了解新闻——比如，在早上喝咖啡时查看Twitter，但不要在开车送孩子上学的路上听收音机——如果你感到紧张的话，这样做可以帮助你缓解焦虑情绪。

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.”

这将有助于你在真实可信的威胁与耸人听闻的消息之间找到平衡，阿尔巴诺博士说，“不至于迫不及待地去报告或者谈论一些你以为会造成重大影响但其实并没有那么严重的东西。”

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.

美国联邦调查局(Federal Bureau of Investigation)发布的一份应对恐怖主义的指南鼓励人们闭上眼睛，深呼吸让自己平静下来。散步或者与密友聊天也有一定帮助。

The guide also recommends avoiding alcohol and drugs, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods — basic self-care guidelines that help reduce stress.

它还建议人们经常锻炼、食用健康的食品，不要饮酒或吸毒等——这些都是非常基本的有助于减轻压力的自我保健指南。

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.

列一份计划表，详细说明万一发生意外时要如何与您的家人取得联系，这是个好主意。但是，阿尔巴诺博士说，请记住：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.

美国心理学会(American Psychological Association)建议，如果你有孩子，请询问一下他们对新闻的感想。但需要注意的是，新闻报道和成年人之间的谈话都可能影响到孩子。

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.

阿尔巴诺博士说，心理学界最担心的问题是，人们“刻意地去追求安全，以至于大大压缩了自己的生活空间”。

“Terrorists thrive on this kind of thing,” she added. “They want to see the population change their practices.”

“恐怖分子们巴不得你这样，”她补充道。“他们就希望看到民众受到他们的影响，被他们所改变。”

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，她说，还有一点令专家们尤其担心：刻意避免与陌生人互动（例如，搭乘公共交通工具等）会引发孩子们的恐惧和焦虑心理。

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.

对此的对策是：养成习惯，去结识陌生人，尤其是与你不在一个圈子里的人。

“Parents and adults have to similarly look around at one another and get to know people,” she said.

“同样地，家长和成年人也需要将目光转向外面，多多与周围的人交流，”她说。

Dr. Albano praised the people of Paris for returning to cafes.

阿尔巴诺博士对巴黎人民回到咖啡馆的行为赞誉有加。

“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事件之后，”她回忆道，“当时的纽约市市长朱利安尼(Giuliani)对公众们这样呼吁道：‘去看球赛。大胆走出去。让我恩回到正常生活中去。”