Ways to Train the Brain to Perform Better Under Pressure 训练大脑在压力下表现得更好的方法

Whatever pressure it is， your palms are likely to become sweaty， your stomach is likely to clench， and you may feel a bit confused. This can significantly affect your productivity at work. So what can you do to ensure that you are functioning at your best？

无论承受何种压力，你的手掌可能会出汗，你的胃可能会抽紧，你可能还会感到有些迷茫。这会大大影响你的工作效率。那么，你有哪些办法可以确保自己的状态达到最佳？

First， you must know what pressure is？ According to scientists， one thing that pressure does is to ensure that you shift your mind away from all the potential good things and focus on all the things that could go wrong. Apart from reducing your working memory， pressure can also make you pay less attention to your performance. Here are some of the things that you can do to handle pressure better.

首先，你得明白什么是压力？科学家指出，压力会让你的注意力从所有潜在的好事上转移，而集中于所有可能出错的地方。除了降低你的工作记忆力，压力还可能使你对自身表现的关注度降低。以下是一些帮助你更好应对压力的方法。

Take care of your rewards

好好运用你的奖励

The reason why your focus of attention narrows down when you are pressurized is that your world tends to revolve around positive things. This means that if something is threatening your well being， it may seem like the world is not matching your motivational state.

当你面临压力时，你的注意力之所以会变得更加集中，是因为你的世界开始更多地围绕积极的事物。这意味着，如果有什么事情威胁到你的幸福安康，你可能会觉得这个世界与你的动机状态不符。

So， to be more creative， there has to be a match between your overall motivational state and the rewards in the environment. This means that your creativity is boosted when you focus on positive outcomes. The best way to practice this is to set up a system that can allow you to minimize any losses. This will help you to be more expansive and creative in your thoughts.

因此，要想提高创造力，你的整体动机状态需要与环境提供的奖励匹配。这表明，当你专注于积极成果时，你的创造力将得以增强。最好的做法是建立一个系统，帮助你尽可能减少任何损失。这将有助于你的思维更加开放和富有创意。

Practice a lot

勤加练习

According to Sian Beilock， a cognitive scientist， you need to practice in situations that carry the pressure that you face when you have to perform.

认知科学家西安·贝洛克指出，你需要在有压力的环境中进行练习，以便在需要时能够应对自如。

For instance， if you fear public speaking， then you need to practice it. You can start by doing it to a hollow room， then to a group of colleagues before finally delivering a talk to your audience. By practicing this regularly， you can significantly reduce any pressure that you may face in the future. You might even realize that you suddenly enjoy public speaking.

比如说，如果你害怕公开演讲，那么你就应该多加练习。你可以先在空旷的房间里练习，接着面对几位同事进行小范围的演讲，最终再向整个听众正式发表演讲。坚持定期练习，你将能显著减少未来可能遇到的压力。你甚至可能会突然发现自己开始喜欢公开演讲。

Concentrate on the right stuff

专注于重要的事项

When you practice， it’s also important to practice what you are going to do when you are under pressure. When you are under pressure， it’s important to train your mind so you can think about something productive. You can have something written down with the most important elements in front of you during a negotiation.

当你练习时，演练在压力状态下的应对方式同样重要。在压力之下，训练自己的思维能力很重要，这样才能集中思考有成效的事务。如在谈判时，你可以将谈判中最关键的要素写下来，摆在面前。

This way， you’ll concentrate on monitoring the current state of negotiation during a negotiation instead of the aspects of the way you speak.

这样一来，你就能在谈判中专注于把控当前的谈判状况，而不是关注你的说话方式。

Word Bank

overall /'əʊvər'ɔːl/ adj. 总体的

hollow /'hɒləʊ/ adj. 空的

The room was hollow when I entered.