听身体的话，给自己放个假吧

08 听身体的话，给自己放个假吧

休假不仅对大脑恢复注意力和积极性至关重要，而且对维持使我们具有人性的认知过程不可或缺。忽视人体对休息的需求会带来长期代价。

研究员杰西卡·迪布洛姆(Jessica de Bloom)的分析显示，人们在度过7天假期后的那种精神抖擞的感觉会在恢复工作的1至4周内消退。《科学美国人》(Scientific American)一篇文章总结道，短暂的假期“就像在潮湿闷热的夏日冲一个冷水澡——提神，但只能带来短暂的解脱”。

从小长假和法国人长达一个月的假期，到美国人不可思议的越来越短的假期，休假多久才足以在恢复元气的同时，激发人生道路的调整？迪布洛姆建议重新安排我们的假期，调整为更短、更频繁的假期。但如果我们需要更长的假期来充足电，那该怎么办？遗憾的是，目前缺少这方面的研究来启迪我们。

一项对4组投资银行家进行的长达13年的研究表明，忽视人体对休息的需求会带来长期代价。

The bankers followed by Alexandra Michel, a Wharton business school professor, pushed the limits of their young bodies with impunity in their first three years as associates.Around year four, they started to break down from overwork.Starting at year six, 40 per cent had breakdowns so severe they were forced to stop working.

沃顿商学院教授亚力山德拉·米歇尔(Alexandra Michel)跟踪调查的这些银行家，在刚进投行、担任副经理的头三年期间不要命地工作，把自己的年轻身体频频推到极限。到了第4年左右，他们开始因过劳而出现问题。从第6年开始，40%的人顶不住，他们的问题严重到被迫停止工作。

Eighty per cent strongly agreed with the statement: “I am trying harder to control my body but with less success than before.” Starting at year six, 40 per cent had breakdowns so severe they were forced to stop working.

80%的人强烈同意这个说法：“我更努力地尝试控制我的身体，但是不像以前那么成功。”从第6年开始，40%的人顶不住，他们的问题严重到被迫停止工作。

Responses to the breakdowns fell into two camps.One group treated their bodies as “antagonists”, escalating efforts to exert control.They talked about “letting your body know who is in charge” and submitted to extreme regimes such as lemon-juice only cleanses and boot-camp training.

这些银行家对身体故障的反应分为两种。一组人把自己的身体当成“对抗者”，需要加大努力胜过它。他们会说“让你的身体知道谁才是主人”，并采取各种极端对策，如柠檬汁净化疗法和集训式训练。

A second group learnt to treat their bodies as “insightful advisers”, heeding even subtle signs such as low energy as cues: “I learnt to differentiate between being tired and drained.When I am drained, my body says that something isn't right and I stop and try to figure it out,” said one in this camp.

第二组人学着把自己的身体视为“有洞察力的顾问”，会留意到精神不振等细微迹象，将其视为线索：“我学会了区分疲劳和筋疲力尽。当我筋疲力尽时，我的身体会提醒我有什么地方不对劲，我会停下来试着找到原因，”该组的一位银行家表示。

随着研究进入第9至13年，米歇尔教授跟随步入中年的参与者进入了全新的职业，她发现，难以为继的工作习惯不是跳槽或者改行就能克服的。

Many of them relapsed after moving into organisations that were supposedly less work intensive.Even among those who had learnt to treat their bodies as insightful advisers, a significant number experienced a second breakdown within the first year at their new jobs.

在进入工作强度理应较小的组织后，他们中的多数人旧病复发了。即使是那些已经学会把身体视为有洞察力顾问的人，也有相当一部分人在进入新工作后的第一年内经历第二次崩溃。

Not only had they chosen similarly demanding positions but, still weakened from their tenure at the banks, they also failed to take sufficient time in between roles to convalesce and gain psychological distance from their hard-driving selves.Needless to say, they also intensified the pace of work for everyone else, role-modelling behaviours they were then forced to sustain.

他们不仅选择了类似的高要求职位，而且，在仍然因为银行的工作而身体虚弱的时候，未能在角色转换期花足够时间修整，并从心理上远离要强的自我。不用说，他们把别人的工作节奏也搞得紧张兮兮，而他们自己随后被迫维持榜样行为。

大量神经学研究表明，休假不仅对大脑恢复注意力和积极性至关重要，而且对维持使我们具有人性的认知过程不可或缺。许多人出于本能渴望的“思考时间”使我们得以巩固记忆、整合我们所学的知识、规划未来、恪守我们的道德指南针，并构建自我意识。

长假和成年人“间隙年”受到追捧，是我们渴望喘息的一个迹象。不过，人们给这样的假期塞满了需要学习的外语和需要翻越的高山，疯狂地试图“充分利用”日益缩短的休闲时光，而他们在短暂的休假期前后安排更多任务，使实际假期更加短暂。

话虽如此，对于那些最需要休假的人来说，退出职场打拼很少是自愿的。在更多情况下，不再听话的身体会迫使我们休息。或许是时候让我们的工作方式休息一下了。

词汇总结

impunity [ɪm'pjuːnɪtɪ]

n.不受惩罚；无患；[法]免罚

The bankers followed by Alexandra Michel, a Wharton business school professor, pushed the limits of their young bodies with impunity in their first three years as associates.

沃顿商学院教授亚力山德拉·米歇尔(Alexandra Michel)跟踪调查的这些银行家，在刚进投行、担任副经理的头三年期间不要命地工作，把自己的年轻身体频频推到极限。

antagonist [æn'tæg(ə)nɪst]

n.敌手

escalate ['eskəleɪt]

vi.逐步增强；逐步升高

vt.使逐步上升

One group treated their bodies as “antagonists”, escalating efforts to exert control.

一组人把自己的身体当成“对抗者”，需要加大努力胜过它。

heed [hiːd]

vi.注意，留心

n.注意到；留心到

vt.注意，留心

A second group learnt to treat their bodies as “insightful advisers”, heeding even subtle signs such as low energy as cues: “I learnt to differentiate between being tired and drained.

第二组人学着把自己的身体视为“有洞察力的顾问”，会留意到精神不振等细微迹象，将其视为线索：“我学会了区分疲劳和筋疲力尽。

relapse [rɪ'læps]

vi.故态复萌；旧病复发；再度堕落；再陷邪道

n.复发，再发；故态复萌；回复原状

Many of them relapsed after moving into organisations that were supposedly less work intensive.

在进入工作强度理应较小的组织后，他们中的多数人旧病复发了。