想要快乐? 那么就不要做以下三件事!

 　　You want to be happy, who doesn't? However, you might engage in unhelpful behaviors that thwart¹ your success.

　　你想快乐，有谁不想呢？然而，你可能在进行一些阻碍你成功的不良行为。

　　Whether you procrastinate², feed negative self-talk, or don't rest your mind, you lower your potential to create happiness.

　　不管是拖延、消极的自我对话，或是不让大脑休息，这些都会降低你获得幸福的潜能。

　　想要快乐? 那么就不要做以下三件事!

　　1.Procrastination³

　　1.拖延

　　Putting off mowing⁴ the lawn, or not writing a letter, may not seem like a big deal, but every time you don't carry out tasks you think you should complete, you ignite a mild fight or flight response.

　　该修剪的草坪一直没剪，或者是一封信总是没有写，看起来都不是什么大事，但是每一次你没有做完你应当完成的工作，你就燃起了一场微弱的斗争或是内心的逃避。

　　Fight or flight happens when you face stress, and, although it exists to aid survival, it isn't always a helpful response.

　　当你面对压力时斗争或者逃避就会出现。尽管它的存在是为了帮助生存，但它并不总是积极正面的响应。

　　You aren't in mortal danger if you procrastinate, but your system doesn't always take this information onboard. You still react as though you are anxious and produce stress chemicals.

　　当拖延时，你并不会有生命危险，然而你的身体系统却不会总是认真考虑这件事。你仍然看起来很紧张，并产生了压力性化学物质。

　　Additionally, as your system constricts⁵ physically⁶, your mind also closes off a little.

　　此外，由于你的身体总是处于紧张状态，你的大脑也多少会受到影响。

　　Just as your muscles tighten⁷ when you are anxious, your ability to see the big picture of life is reduced when you procrastinate, so, you don't see as much joy

　　当你压力很大时你的肌肉会收紧，当你拖延时你规划生活的能力会降低，所以，你就感受不到太多的快乐。

　　2.Negative self-talk

　　2.消极的自我对话

　　Self-talk is a barometer⁸, telling you how healthy you are emotionally.

　　自我对话是一个晴雨表，能判断出你的心理有多健康。

　　Taking notice of what goes on in your head, and putting positive change in action, makes negative self-talk useful.

　　注意你的脑子里正在想着什么，并且在行为上做出积极的转变，让消极的自我对话变得有用。

　　Nonetheless, most people don't recognize negative self-talk as a pointer, they feed it until it grows out of control.

　　然而，大多数人并未意识到消极的自我对话可以作为一个指针，他们不停的塞满它，直到失控。

　　3.Not resting your mind.

　　3.不让大脑休息

　　Your mind contains an incredible amount of information and is more powerful than any computer many times over.

　　你的大脑可容纳的信息量多到不可思议，比任何的电脑都要强大许多倍。

　　However, if you give it too many tasks, you shut out peace of mind. Thinking about many things at once generates a feeling of anxiety.

　　然而，如果你给它了太多任务，它就一直得不到休息。一次思考太多的事情会造成情绪的紧张。

　　Thought-overload⁹ results in physical symptoms, like a racing¹⁰ heart and shortness of breath.

　　过度思考会导致身体出现一些症状，比如心跳加快、呼吸急促。

　　Additionally, you might have insomnia¹¹, digestive problems, and other symptoms of stress that reduce your happiness.

　　此外，可能还会产生失眠、消化问题以及其他一些应激症状，降低你的幸福感。

　　If you want to increase the odds¹² of being happy, don't procrastinate, complete jobs and you'll feel less pressure.

　　如果你想提升幸福感，不要拖延，及时完成工作，你会觉得压力小了很多。

　　At the same time, don't feed negative self-talk. Note what your inner voice tells you then watch it fade.

　　同时，不要总进行消极的自我对话，关注你内心的声音，并监控它直到消失。

　　Similarly, don't overload your mind, give it a rest and you will soon notice you are happier.

　　同样，不要让大脑超负荷运转，让它得到适当的休息，很快你就会感到自己更幸福了。

1 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

2 procrastinate   

v.耽搁，拖延

参考例句：

• Most often we procrastinate when faced with something we do not want to do.面对不想做的事情，我们经常拖延。
• It's easy to procrastinate when the deadline seems infinitely far away.当最终期限总是遥遥无期时是很容易延期的。

3 procrastination   

n.拖延，耽搁

参考例句：

• Procrastination is the father of failure. 因循是失败的根源。
• Procrastination is the thief of time. 拖延就是浪费时间。

4 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

5 constricts   

压缩，压紧，使收缩( constrict的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tumour constricts the nerves. 肿瘤压迫神经。
• Fat constricts the blood vessels, making your circulation bad. 脂肪压缩血管，造成你的血液循环不畅。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

8 barometer   

n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标

参考例句：

• The barometer marked a continuing fall in atmospheric pressure.气压表表明气压在继续下降。
• The arrow on the barometer was pointing to"stormy".气压计上的箭头指向“有暴风雨”。

9 overload   

vt.使超载；n.超载

参考例句：

• Don't overload the boat or it will sink.别超载，否则船会沉。
• Large meals overload the digestive system.吃得太饱会加重消化系统的负担。

10 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

11 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

12 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？