Feeling the pinch of work stress in the evening? Before heading home for the night, take a moment to savor the day's wins.
savor：尽情享受，滋味
Forthcoming research from the Academy of Management Journal shows that workers reported lower stress levels in the evenings after spending a few minutes jotting down positive events at the end of the day, along with why those things made them feel good.
forthcoming：即将来临的 jot down：略记下，匆匆记下
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota, University of Florida and others, tracked a group of workers over 15 days, logging their blood pressure and reported stress symptoms, such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and headaches. The researchers observed changes as the workers wrote down their accomplishments, such as leading a successful sales call, or a presentation that earned a manager's praise.
It's no surprise that positive thinking can ease tension. But it might prove more practical than employers' current approaches for fighting workplace stress, such as offering flexible work arrangements or creating a new organizational chart that doesn't actually change daily life at the office, says Theresa Glomb, a work and organizations professor at University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and co-author of the report.
Listing the good things that happened over the course of a day is valuable in its own right, but Ms. Glomb says the real impact comes from writing down why those things led to good feelings. That act highlights the resources and support a person has in their work life-such as skills, a good sense of humor, an encouraging family or a compassionate boss.
The reflections don't have to be work-related, she adds, a tasty lunch brought from home can be a workday accomplishment. In the experiment, about 40% of the end-of-day reflections had nothing to do with work, and reflecting on them still made the subjects calmer later that evening.
Companies shouldn't rush to institute mandatory reflection time each day, Ms. Glomb warns, since that could just add another stressor for time-crunched workers. Instead, they can embed the exercise in the regular work day, perhaps by asking employees to share details of something that's going well in their lives at the start of a team meeting.
mandatory：强制的，托管的