Niels Eék, psychologist and co-founder of mental health and self-development platform Remente, gives advice on how to manage your mental health when returning to work.
The prospect of going back to work may cause some nervousness and anxiety, especially after spending so long with limited face-to-face contact. Upon returning to the office, you may want to keep track of how much time you are devoting to work when you return home in the evenings.
Remote working can blur the boundaries between your professional and personal life, so it’s important to re-establish this division, particularly if you have spent the last four months working from home. Reading and receiving emails and messages outside of working hours can make some people feel more anxious. To avoid this, you may want to set clear boundaries at home, where you do not address work emails during certain hours, to give yourself time to relax ready for the next day.
Of course, some tasks may be urgent, so ask your manager to phone you if something needs to be immediately addressed. That way, you don’t need to be constantly checking your device and can instead focus on your own mental and physical well-being. Go to bed at a time that allows you to rise well-rested, cook nutritious meals that you enjoy, or perhaps take an evening walk to relax. Returning to work is likely to be a shock after so long, so make sure to do what you need to do to feel relaxed each evening.
Talking to a friend or colleague can be extremely useful when addressing these anxieties. It is good to remember that these feelings are something that many people face, so being open about your emotions is nothing to feel uncomfortable about. “Remember that it is OK to tell your friends and co-workers that you need some time out” as you return to regular interactions with people after months of isolation. It may take some time to adapt to the change in circumstances, but this is totally normal.
1. What will happen to the people who return to office work?| A．They will need more career development guidance. |
| B．They will have to check their emails constantly. |
| C．They will feel more relaxed than working at home. |
| D．They may suffer from some mental problems. |
| A．Mix up. | B．Focus on. | C．Break away. | D．Set up. |
| A．Telling your manager you need rest. |
| B．Checking your device repeatedly for messages. |
| C．Confirming urgent and vital things to be addressed. |
| D．Telling your colleagues to spare you some time. |
| A．How to manage your physical health at work |
| B．How to deal with anxiety as you return to work |
| C．Advice on a better performance at office work |
| D．Advice on striking a balance between work and life |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】How to support a struggling friend
Everyone meets with troubles, both big and small and everything in between. Common wisdom suggests that a problem shared is a problem halved. However, most people don’t really know what works best to help their friends in trouble effectively.
Ask questions and really listen.
Just as underestimating a friend’s problem is unwise, so is trying to empathize (共情) too quickly.
A related technique to try is active listening, which is commonly used by therapists, and relatively simple to carry out.
Don’t take charge.
If your support is too directive, it might make your friends feel like they aren’t able to handle things on their own. Instead, it would be better to ask them what they want, and how they might be able to change this situation, and then listen to them talk through their options one by one. In doing this, you provide a sounding board for them to take control of the situation on their own.
| A．One useful skill is to paraphrase what your friend is saying in your own words. |
| B．A friend who is going through hardship may benefit from a helpful gesture. |
| C．Part of the challenge is that there are just so many possible ways to step in. |
| D．It’s important not to put too much pressure on your friend to talk. |
| E．While this urge is understandable and quite normal, it is not effective. |
| F．Your aim should be to facilitate others’ choices, rather than control them. |
| G．The good news is that we do have some simple but effective strategies to follow. |
【推荐2】Marnie Baker, a doctor from Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, gave us the explanation on growing pains and what parents can do to help their kids through this painful stage of growing up.
“There is no scientific proof that growing pains are truly caused by rapid bone, muscle or ligament (韧带) growth,” said Baker. “But any parent can tell you they are real,” she added. Health experts don’t know the exact cause of growing pains, but they may be linked to a child’s level of activity during the day.
The major symptom of growing pains is discomfort in the lower legs-thighs, calves, behind the knees, ankles-that most often occurs at night. Baker says her patients describe the pain as deep and aching. The pain usually occurs in both legs and it may keep your child from falling asleep or wake him up at night. Growing pains can affect kids when they are between the ages of 0-2 and then again between the ages of 8-12.
“Growing pains have specific features that help distinguish them from other potentially more serious conditions,” noted Baker. They occur in a generalized location, such as both knees, or the lower legs, but not in any one specific spot. Baker explained that there are no physical findings along with growing pains. In other words, there shouldn’t be any sweling (肿胀), redness or warmth in the location of the pain. Growing pains should not cause limping (跛行) or keep kids from being active during the day. They should also occur at intervals, and not for long periods of time. If your child experiences any of these other symptoms or if the symptoms seem to keep them from heading out to play during the day, Baker says it’s time to get them checked out by a doctor.
Growing pains are alarming for parents and upsetting for kids, but the best thing you can do for your kids is to reassure them with a hug or a kiss. To help relieve the pain, try a gentle massage, a few minutes with a heating pad. “Teaching your child that growing pains are common and if they are awakened by them, to give their legs a rub and go back to sleep is the simplest way to ensure a good night’s sleep for all,” says Baker.
1. Where can you most probably find the passage?| A．In a health report. | B．In a parenting magazine. |
| C．In a biology textbook. | D．In an advertisement. |
| A．set somebody’s mind at ease | B．get somebody across |
| C．make somebody convinced of something | D．fit in with somebody |
| A．Ways to help alleviate the symptoms. | B．The physical features of growing pains. |
| C．The root causes of growing pains. | D．The period when growing pains occur. |
| A．Growing pains will rob children of happiness in the daytime. |
| B．The major symptom of growing pains varies from person to person in location. |
| C．Swelling, redness or warmth always accompany growing pains. |
| D．No more other kind of physical pains appear in company of growing pains. |
【推荐3】Memorizing a speech in one night is not an easy task, but it’s possible. There are hundreds of different memorization techniques out there.
Write out the entire speech. Simply take a piece of paper and a pen and write out the entire speech.
Rehearse your speech for a friend.
Record yourself rehearsing the speech. If you don’t have anyone to practice with, try recording yourself while you rehearse your speech. Video recording is the best because you will be able to watch the recording and critique your speech and body language.
Avoid trying to memorize the speech word for word. Normally, it is not necessary to recite a speech word for word. It is more important to remember all of the topics that you need to cover during the speech. Spend time memorizing the bullet points, important facts and statistics, and the layout of your speech in order to guarantee that you cover all of the information that needs to be covered.
| A．Type up the speech. |
| B．Make a list of things that scare you about the speech. |
| C．If the speech is relatively short, consider writing it out multiple times. |
| D．However, the best method is the basic, tried-and-true strategy of repetition and practice. |
| E．It is important to remember to take care of your body even when you are cramming for a presentation. |
| F．You can also listen to the recording while you are doing other things to help remember the information. |
| G．Sometimes you may think that you know your speech well, but you freeze up when you perform it in front of people. |
【推荐1】One thing the army did well was keep you busy but I was lucky enough to get some time off. They asked me where I wanted to go and there was only one place I had in mind...Ireland. Wouldn’t you want to go back home? Yes of course but I wanted to visit a person that I hadn’t seen for a long time. This person was an extremely close friend. That didn’t even begin to describe the relationship I had with her. She had her heart set on going out of the country for college and I supported her 100%. When I told her I wanted to join the army, she wasn’t exactly excited, but when I explained that school wasn’t for me and I wanted to see the world while also being in the service, she understood.
I left for the camp in the late months of summer. I knew that the day had come and this might be the last time I’d seen her. I wasn’t ready for it. Neither was she. She drove me to the airport, helped me check in, and got ready to leave. Then she stood at the bottom of the stairs and I was going to go up. Cry didn’t fully grasp the idea of what happened, but there was definitely lots of crying. When I finally got there, I took one look back and saw that big shining smile of hers, shedding my last tear.
That was the last time but now I was on a plane to meet her, in an airport, in Ireland. I knew nothing about the place except that it was green. I was still dressed in my fatigues (军服) as required. The probably native Irish people gave me a thank-you nod. Even though I didn’t wear their flag, they knew I was keeping them safe.
As I got off the plane, I couldn’t help asking myself. What if she didn’t recognize me? What if she wasn’t here? What if what if what if? That’s all I could tell myself on the way to get my bag. When I had my bag I started to walk towards the stairs. I stopped at the top and asked myself the last time, what if? Then I went down the stairs, looking around, nervous, but also scared. Then I saw it — that big shining smile that left me years ago, and it was staring right back at me.
1. How did the girl feel at first when she heard the writer would join the army?| A．Ashamed. | B．Excited. | C．Disappointed. | D．Nervous. |
| A．How sad he was to leave the girl. | B．How eager he was to see the girl soon. |
| C．How happy the girl was to see him off. | D．How unwilling he was to join the army. |
| A．To show his regret about meeting the girl. |
| B．To show his doubt about their relationship. |
| C．To show his concern for the girl’s condition. |
| D．To show his curiosity about the girl’s looks. |
| A．His pride in serving in the army. | B．His fond memories with the girl. |
| C．His romantic meeting with the girl. | D．His impression of the native Irish. |
【推荐2】As years went by, I realized that one of the biggest problems of adults was worry. A large majority of my students were businessmen, executives, salesmen, engineers, accountants: a cross section of all the trades and professions and most of them had problems! There were women in the classes business women and housewives. They too had problems. Clearly, what I needed was a textbook on how to conquer worry. So again, I tried to find one.
I went to the New York great public library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street and discovered to my astonishment that this library had only twenty-two books listed under the title WORRY. I also noticed, to my amusement, that it had one hundred and eighty-nine books listed under WORMS. Almost nine times as many books about worms as about worry! Surprising, isn't it? Since worry is one of the biggest problems facing mankind, you would think, wouldn't you, that every high school and college in the land would give a course on “How to Stop Worrying”?
Yet, if there is even one course on that subject in any college in the land, I have never heard of it. No wonder David Seabury said in his book How to Worry Successfully: “We come to maturity with as little preparation for the pressures of experience as a bookworm asked to do a ballet.”
The result? More than half of our hospital beds are all occupied by people with nervous and emotional troubles.
I looked over those twenty-two books on worry on the shelves of the New York Public Library. In addition, I purchased all the books on worry I could find; yet I couldn't discover even one that I could use as a text in my course for adults. So I decided to write one by myself.
1. What made the writer realize one of the adults’ biggest problems?| A．His wide reading. | B．His practical survey. |
| C．His students’ real situation. | D．His scientific research. |
| A．getting a book for his teaching |
| B．finding some material for his new book |
| C．obtaining some information for his research |
| D．borrowing some books on worms for his students |
| A．Worry is extremely common. | B．We lack knowledge of worry. |
| C．We show no interest in worry. | D．Worry can hardly be controlled. |
| A．To warn us of the possible danger of worry. |
| B．To persuade us to get rid of worry. |
| C．To explain why he wanted to write a book on worry. |
| D．To tell us how to conquer worry. |
【推荐3】How to stop life getting you down
We don’t like to talk about our struggles, choosing instead to put on a brave face.
Try out a new hobby. Hobbies don’t just fill time, but they also help to give you a sense of purpose and something to be proud of. Try out a new sport, learn to dance or perhaps join a music club.
Reach out. If you’re struggling or feeling down, always remember that you don’t need to be on your own.
Do things for others.
| A．Try to appreciate the little things. |
| B．They may do wonders for your mood. |
| C．Try not to worry about what people think of you. |
| D．Friends will be happy to help and provide support. |
| E．Do not be bothered by things affecting your mood. |
| F．Few things build self-confidence quite like doing a favor. |
| G．So, when things start to get you down how can you pick yourself back up? |
【推荐1】Even with all of the water in Earth’s oceans, we satisfy less than half a percent of human water needs with desalinated (脱盐的) water. There is increasing regional scarcity (地域性的不足), especially in many dry areas of the world such as the Middle East and South Africa. So many people ask why we are not desalinating more to deal with shortages and growing water conflicts.
The problem is that the desalination of water requires a lot of energy. Salt dissolves (溶解) very easily in water, forming strong chemical bonds, and those bonds are difficult to break. Energy and the technology to desalinate water are both expensive, and this means that desalinating water can be pretty costly. There are environmental costs of desalination, as well. Sea life can get sucked into desalination plants, killing small ocean creatures like baby fish and plankton (浮游生物), upsetting the food chain. Also, there's the problem of what to do with the separate salt, which is left over as very concentrated salty water. Pumping this super salty water back into the ocean can harm sea life. Reducing these effects is possible, but it adds to the costs.
Despite the problems, desalination is becoming increasingly attractive as we run out of water from other sources. We are over—pumping groundwater, we have already built more dams than we can afford economically and environmentally, and we have tapped nearly all of the accessible rivers. Far more must be done to use our existing water more efficiently, but with the world's population increasing and the water supply decreasing, the economic tide may soon turn in favor of desalination. Therefore, the race is on to find cheaper, cleaner, and more energy—efficient way of desalinating seawater, and promising new findings are being reported.
1. What might cause many people to ask the question in Paragraph 1?| A．The contradiction between water shortages and the abundance of seawater. |
| B．The difference between developing and developed countries. |
| C．The slow development of desalination technology. |
| D．The high temperatures in some dry areas. |
| A．The food chain deep in the sea. |
| B．The high cost of desalinating seawater. |
| C．The major chemical characteristics of seawater. |
| D．The urgent need to turn seawater into fresh water. |
| A．The salty seawater left after desalination. |
| B．The noise caused by desalination plants. |
| C．The increase in the amount of plankton. |
| D．The over-pumping of groundwater. |
| A．Ambiguously. | B．Positively. | C．Skeptically. | D．Critically. |
【推荐2】Max, a 15-year-old boy, produced the Vybpro, a wearable wristband which warns users whenever they are about to touch their faces. The gesture has been recognized as one of the key ways that COVID-19 can be spread, making it a potentially life-saving invention.
He first hit on the excellent idea two years ago for the purpose of reducing the spread of the cold and flu. After both of Max’s parents were infected with COVID-19 four months ago, however, he put in all his effort to develop a working prototype (模型).
Worn on both wrists, the intelligent device is expected to sell for £89. It uses position-sending technology algorithms (算法) to tell between predicted face touching and other hand motions. Then the device warns users of hand gestures that are dangerously near the face.
“We came up with the concept a few years ago when my family was repeatedly catching cold and flu viruses from traveling in and out of London and I could see how easy it was to pick up germs especially from using public transport,” said Max. “It was only when the World Health Organization (WHO) began suggesting people avoid touching their eyes, noses and faces to stop the spread of viruses from contaminated surfaces did I realize that it could play a part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.”
Max, who is from Bristol, launched a £60, 000 crowdfunding campaign (众筹活动) on Kickstarter earlier this week to further his project and turn the prototype into a public reality. “The main task of this project is not to make money, but to get it onto the wrists of those it can help keep safe. Any profits made from early sales through the crowdfunding site will be reinvested into providing free devices for organizations that help people such as National Health Service(NHS) staff and nursing homes.”
1. Why did Max develop the Vybpro?| A．To protect people against COVID-19. |
| B．To prevent the spread of the cold and flu. |
| C．To test position-sending technology. |
| D．To monitor people’s health. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Polluted. |
| C．Smooth. | D．Rough. |
| A．Raising money for nursing homes. | B．Helping to advance his project. |
| C．Providing free devices for NHS. | D．Making a better type of Vybpro. |
| A．Hard work pays off. | B．Little people can make a big difference. |
| C．Ups and downs make one strong. | D．Technology changes our lives. |
【推荐3】For years, doctors have given blood to patients who need it to survive. These transfusions usually include giving red blood cells to patients.
Blood transfusions aren’t as simple as taking blood from one person and giving it to someone else. There’re several different blood types that don’t all mix well. If someone gets a transfusion of the wrong kind of blood, their body will reject the blood cells, causing problems. For the first time ever, scientists from the University of Bristol, Britain, are carrying out a new trail: testing red blood cells grown in a laboratory on human volunteers. The scientists have used stem cells (干细胞) from a blood sample to grow billions of brand new red blood cells.
This could be even better than a regular blood transfusion. For one thing, they can be adjusted for people with different blood types. That’ll be extremely helpful for people with rare blood types. Also, a normal transfusion has red blood cells of all different ages, which means only a small part of them are brand new. The red blood cells grown in the lab are brand new, and this means they last longer and that patients will need fewer transfusions.
To test its safety, researchers have given a couple of teaspoons of the blood to two healthy people, both of whom seem to be doing just fine after the transfusions. In all, they’ll be tested on 10 people, and compared to normal transfusions. The new process doesn’t indicate that normal blood transfusions will disappear. Meanwhile, growing red blood cells in a lab is extremely expensive. And a lot of work and testing still need to be done. But if it’s successful, the process could make life much easier for patients who often need transfusions-even those with rare blood types.
1. What is special about the red blood cells in1 the experiment?| A．They’re given by those with rare blood types. |
| B．They’re collected from seriously ill patients. |
| C．They’re specifically for a single blood type. |
| D．They’ve never existed in any human bodies. |
| A．Blood reserves are often inadequate. |
| B．It often takes the patient a lot of time. |
| C．Most normal blood cells don’t live long. |
| D．It’s unfit for those with rare blood types. |
| A．It will have a long way to go. |
| B．It’ll replace normal transfusions. |
| C．It will separate rare blood types. |
| D．It’ll reduce blood research costs. |
| A．Blood Transfusions Get Easier |
| B．Rare Blood Types Are Not Rare |
| C．Rare Blood Cells Need Donating |
| D．Scientists Test Lab-created Blood |
