Saying ‘No’ at Work Can Be Good for Your Health

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这是来自美国之音学习英语的健康与生活方式报道。

People might find it hard to set work limits or say “no” before taking on too many responsibilities. But experts say it is important for workers to learn to set such limits, or boundaries.

人们可能会发现很难在承担太多责任之前设定工作限制或说“不”。 但专家表示，对于工人来说，学会设定这样的限制或界限很重要。

These limits can be important in helping workers protect their physical and mental health. And as with any new skill, setting boundaries gets easier with practice.

这些限制对于帮助工人保护他们的身心健康非常重要。 与任何新技能一样，通过练习，设定界限会变得更容易。

Justin Stewart is a 36-year-old who works as a news show production assistant. He told The Associated Press that in the past, he had problems setting clear limits in his work life.

贾斯汀·斯图尔特 (Justin Stewart) 36 岁，担任新闻节目制作助理。 他告诉美联社，过去他在工作生活中设定明确的界限时遇到了问题。

Stewart explained that when starting his career, he held several jobs. In addition to his full-time position, he also rented cars at the airport and did sales at a store. He said his life was so busy that he said he would sometimes sleep in his car between jobs. After a time, he had to be hospitalized for extreme tiredness and an infection.

斯图尔特解释说，在开始他的职业生涯时，他担任过几份工作。 除了全职工作外，他还在机场租车并在商店做销售。 他说他的生活太忙碌了，有时他会在工作间隙睡在车里。 一段时间后，他因极度疲劳和感染而不得不住院治疗。

Stewart said that over time, his busy work life finally caught up with him. “While people around me praised my hustle, I eventually paid the price.” He added, “The doctor looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know what lifestyle you’re living, but you’re too young to be this stressed. You’re going to have to quit something.’” As a result, Stewart began trying to set boundaries.

斯图尔特说，随着时间的推移，忙碌的工作生活终于赶上了他。 “虽然周围的人都称赞我的努力，但我最终还是付出了代价。”他补充道：“医生看着我说，‘我不知道你过着什么样的生活方式，但你还太年轻，承受不了这么大的压力。 你将不得不放弃一些东西。” 结果，斯图尔特开始尝试设定界限。

He gave up his side jobs after deciding he could live without the extra money. If people from the news show contacted him to work after-hours, he told them he was not available and suggested other people who might be able to help. However, experts say making such changes can be difficult.

在决定不需要额外的钱也能生活后，他放弃了副业。 如果新闻节目的人联系他在下班后工作，他会告诉他们他没空，并推荐其他可能提供帮助的人。 然而，专家表示，做出这样的改变可能很困难。

Many people already have a hard time turning down work requests –from both co-workers and managers. For example, it might make some people feel good to be needed or to please others. But as with any new skill, setting boundaries can get easier over time. Here are some suggestions from employment experts and workers for effectively setting meaningful work limits.

许多人已经很难拒绝同事和经理的工作要求。 例如，它可能会让某些人因被需要或取悦他人而感觉良好。 但与任何新技能一样，随着时间的推移，设定界限会变得更加容易。 以下是就业专家和工人提出的一些有效设定有意义的工作限制的建议。

Take control of your time If your goal is to do less, adding things to your daily plans may seem like a bad idea.

掌控你的时间 如果您的目标是少做一些事情，那么在日常计划中添加一些事情似乎是个坏主意。

But it can actually provide more control over your time.

但它实际上可以让你更好地控制你的时间。

Bobby Dutton is the founder of event production company GBM6. Every Monday at 2 p.m., he plans the task he is most likely to delay finishing.

Bobby Dutton 是活动制作公司 GBM6 的创始人。 每个星期一下午 2 点，他都会计划他最有可能推迟完成的任务。

And to keep from becoming too busy, he even sets his daily activities, like walking his dog and eating lunch.

为了避免变得太忙，他甚至安排了自己的日常活动，比如遛狗和吃午餐。

Practice “no” responses If workers have a hard time saying no, they can write down what to say beforehand. And it can also help to say it out loud.

练习“不”回应 如果员工很难拒绝，他们可以事先写下要说的话。 大声说出来也会有帮助。

Cara Houser is a workplace engagement coach.

卡拉·豪瑟 (Cara Houser) 是一名职场敬业度教练。

She says workers do not always have to explain themselves when turning down a request. They can simply explain they are not available, thank the person for asking, and suggest when they might be available.

她说，员工在拒绝请求时并不总是需要解释自己。 他们可以简单地解释说他们没有空，感谢对方的询问，并建议他们什么时候可以空。

Amber Krasinski grew up in a working-class environment where saying "no" to a manager could mean losing pay. As the founder of marketing company IvyHill Strategies, Krasinski worries that she will lose business if she turns down a project. So, she often says “not yet” when one more project is too much.

安布尔·卡拉辛斯基 (Amber Krasinski) 在工人阶级环境中长大，对经理说“不”可能意味着失去工资。 作为营销公司 IvyHill Strategies 的创始人，克拉辛斯基担心如果拒绝一个项目，她会失去业务。 因此，当再做一个项目太多时，她经常说“还没有”。

“That phrase has helped me through a lot of situations,” she said. When asked for help, workers may want to agree immediately.

“这句话帮助我度过了很多情况，”她说。 当寻求帮助时，工人们可能希望立即同意。

However, when faced with a new work request, it can be better to take time before answering. Use the time to consider such things as workload, energy level, and interest.

然而，当面临新的工作请求时，最好花些时间再回答。 利用时间考虑工作量、精力水平和兴趣等事情。

Israa Nasir is a psychotherapist in New York. She suggests that workers pay attention to the activities and interactions that leave them feeling tired or stressed. Those kinds of events can be put on a “No List” to be dealt with later.

伊斯拉·纳西尔 (Israa Nasir) 是纽约的一名心理治疗师。 她建议员工注意那些让他们感到疲倦或压力的活动和互动。 此类事件可以列入“禁止列表”，稍后再处理。

Experts say that just because mobile devices can keep people connected to work all the time, they do not have to interfere with a person’s non-working life. For example, Nasir said she found herself checking email far too often on weekends. So, during weekends, she moved the Gmail app from her iPhone’s homepage to the second page.

专家表示，移动设备可以让人们始终保持工作状态，因此它们不必干扰人们的非工作生活。 例如，纳西尔说她发现自己在周末检查电子邮件的次数太多了。 因此，在周末，她将 Gmail 应用程序从 iPhone 的主页移至第二页。

This extra step helped her avoid checking her email.

这个额外的步骤帮助她避免了检查电子邮件。

Experts also suggest using an email signature as another tool to manage expectations. This tool can include more than just your name and contact information. You can also use it to let others know your working hours or upcoming vacation plans.

专家还建议使用电子邮件签名作为管理期望的另一种工具。 该工具不仅可以包含您的姓名和联系信息。 您还可以使用它让其他人了解您的工作时间或即将到来的假期计划。

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. And I’m Andrew Smith. Cathy Bussewitz reported this story for The Associated Press from New York City.

这就是健康与生活方式报告。 我是安德鲁·史密斯。 凯茜·布塞维茨 (Cathy Bussewitz) 为纽约市的美联社报道了这个故事。

Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________ hustle – n. to move or work rapidly and tirelessly pay the price – idiom to experience the bad result of something you have done stressed – adj. effected by a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation manager – n. a person who manages especially a business or household affairs engagement – n. the state of being meshed into a working arrangement in which one part drives another psychotherapist – n. person who treats mental or emotional disorders by psychological means email signature – n. a block of text or image that appears at the end of an email message

安娜·马特奥 (Anna Matteo) 将其改编为美国之音英语学习频道。 ______________________________________________________ 喧嚣 – n.快速而不知疲倦地移动或工作 付出代价 - 习语，表示经历你所做的事情的坏结果 强调 - adj.受到物理、化学或情绪因素的影响，导致身体或精神紧张，可能是致病因素 经理 – n.特别管理商业或家庭事务的人 订婚 – n.啮合到工作安排中的状态，其中一个部分驱动另一个部分 心理治疗师 – n.通过心理手段治疗精神或情绪障碍的人 电子邮件签名 – n.出现在电子邮件末尾的文本或图像块