社交焦虑的两个问题：Guardian 双语精读与 10 个英语表达

作者从治疗师那里记住了两个问题：What’s the worst thing that could happen? 和 And then what?。第一个问题把模糊的害怕说具体，第二个问题继续往后追：最糟的事真的发生以后，下一步是什么？

把整篇先压成一条英语链： spiral（越想越失控）→ catastrophise（自动推演灾难结局）→ second-guess yourself（回头怀疑自己）→ bring yourself back to reality（把注意力拉回事实）→ get through it（把这件事撑过去）。

双语精读

来源｜ The Guardian · Farryn Stock · 2026 年 9 月 28 日

The one change that worked: Anxiety had me hiding from the world – then two magic questions set me free

一个改变真的奏效了：社交焦虑让我躲着全世界，后来两个问题把我拉了回来

I used to be terrified of socialising, certain I would embarrass myself the moment I opened my mouth. And as for dates …

副标题译文｜以前我一想到社交就害怕，总觉得自己一开口就会出丑。至于约会，那更让人头疼。

As with a lot of teenagers, social confidence was not my strong suit. Throughout my time at school in the early 2010s, I hated the prospect of new social situations and would often lie awake at night overthinking the day to come.

译文｜和很多青少年一样，社交自信从来都不是我的强项。2010 年代初上学时，我很讨厌面对新的社交场合，常常晚上躺在床上睡不着，反复想着第二天可能发生的一切。

What I now know to be social anxiety I dismissed as just nerves at that young age. Although I knew something wasn’t quite right, for most of my early teens I managed to disguise my discomfort. Sharing a friendship group with my twin sister meant I could hide behind my sibling.

译文｜现在回头看，我知道那是社交焦虑；年纪还小时，我只把它归结为普通紧张。虽然隐约知道自己的状态不太对，青春期早期的大部分时间里，我仍然很会把不自在藏起来。我和双胞胎姐妹共享一个朋友圈，所以很多时候都可以躲在她身后，让她替我撑住社交场面。

As we got older, the disparity started to grow and her flourishing social confidence magnified my lack of it. By my late teens, I often found myself building up social situations to an unbearable point. The false narrative I’d created of embarrassing myself socially had begun to completely overshadow my desire to be around other people. So I hid away a lot.

译文｜随着年龄增长，我们之间的差距越来越明显。她在社交上越来越自如，也让我更清楚地看到自己的不安。到了十七八岁，我常常会在脑中把一次普通社交越想越严重，直到它变得难以承受。我给自己编出的那套“我一定会当众出丑”的故事，渐渐压过了我想和别人待在一起的愿望。于是，我越来越常把自己藏起来。

My mum found me a therapist. She was phenomenal and talked me through a lot of emotions that I didn’t really understand. When the end of my therapy sessions neared and we had spoken as much as we could, all that was left to do was for me to go out into the world and put into practice everything we had discussed.

译文｜妈妈帮我找了一位治疗师。她非常出色，陪着我一点点梳理那些当时自己还说不清楚的情绪。治疗接近尾声时，我们能谈的已经谈了很多，接下来轮到我走进真实生活，把我们讨论过的东西真正用起来。

When I began to spiral over this, as I usually did, and voiced my concern, she asked me: “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” I replied: “Well, I could be embarrassed, I wouldn’t know what to say, I’d make an idiot of myself.” These were all the usual thoughts that plagued me. But then she said: “And then what?”

译文｜我又像往常一样开始越想越失控，于是把担心说了出来。她问我：“最糟糕的情况会是什么？”我回答：“我可能会很尴尬，不知道该说什么，甚至把自己搞得像个傻瓜一样。”这些念头一直反复折磨着我。接着，她只问了一句：“然后呢？”

Not for the first time, she had made me second-guess the anxiety voice in my brain. I stopped and thought about it for a second and said: “Well, then I’d just go home and go to bed.” She replied: “Exactly, and then you’d wake up tomorrow and start the day again, and that would be over.”

译文｜她又一次让我开始怀疑脑子里那个焦虑声音到底靠不靠谱。我停下来想了几秒，然后说：“那我就回家睡觉呗。”她回答：“对。第二天你照样醒来，重新开始一天，这件事也就过去了。”

In that moment, even my spiralling brain couldn’t catastrophise the situation any further. I realised those two simple questions brought me back down to reality when my mind tried to race ahead and find problems that, more than likely, weren’t going to happen.

译文｜那一刻，就连已经越转越快的脑子也没办法继续把事情往最坏处推。我发现，当思绪提前冲到未来、拼命寻找那些大概率不会发生的问题时，这两个简单的问题能把我重新拉回现实。

Those questions have saved me from my anxiety time and time again. They saved me on my first day of university, when we had to introduce ourselves one by one. Standing up in a room full of strangers and sharing a “fun fact” about myself would have been a nightmare for me previously. But asking myself: “And then what?” made me realise that even if this were the most embarrassing day of my life, I could still just go home at the end and never go back. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the most embarrassing day of my life. I graduated three years later with a first-class degree and never thought twice about that moment till now.

译文｜后来，这两个问题一次又一次把我从焦虑里拉出来。大学第一天，我们要轮流站起来做自我介绍。换作以前，在一屋子陌生人面前分享自己的“有趣小事”，简直像噩梦。可当我问自己“And then what?”，我突然意识到，就算这真的成了人生最尴尬的一天，我最后也还是能回家，大不了以后不来了。结果当然没有那么糟。三年后，我以一等学位毕业，直到现在写这篇文章时，才再次想起那次自我介绍。

Dates used to be awful. The anxiety they instilled in me often led to me cancelling last minute or getting blackout drunk just to get through them. Shortly after finishing therapy, I went on a date with those two questions swirling around in my brain. That was one of the first dates where I didn’t feel physically sick at the prospect of going – all simply because I reminded myself that even my worst-case scenario meant I could just go home after, put on some pyjamas and watch a film.

译文｜以前约会对我来说特别难熬。它带来的焦虑常常让我临出门前取消约会，或者把自己喝到断片，只为了熬过那几个小时。治疗结束不久后，我又去了一次约会，脑子里一直转着那两个问题。那是最早几次没有因为“一想到要去约会”就恶心得难受的约会之一。原因很简单：我提醒自己，就算最糟糕的情况真的发生，结束后我照样可以回家，换上睡衣，看一部电影。

Since then, asking myself: “What’s the worst that could happen?” and: “And then what?” has got me through a plethora of anxiety-inducing moments, including job interviews and moving across the world, from the UK to Australia, with my boyfriend. Now, if I find my social anxiety spiking just because I bumped into an old school friend in Tesco, I know what to do. These questions bring me back to reality and calm me down.

译文｜从那以后，每当我问自己“What’s the worst that could happen?”和“And then what?”，都能帮助我度过很多让人焦虑的时刻，包括求职面试，以及和男朋友一起从英国搬到澳大利亚。现在，就算只是在 Tesco 偶遇老同学，社交焦虑突然一下子冲高，我也知道该怎么处理。这两个问题会把我拉回现实，让情绪慢慢降下来。

重点表达与拓展

先把 5 个词串成一句完整的话：

I started spiralling, catastrophised the whole situation and second-guessed everything I had said. Two simple questions brought me back to reality and helped me get through it.

我开始越想越失控，把整件事直接推演成最坏结局，又反复怀疑自己说过的每一句话。两个很短的问题把我重新拉回现实，也让我把这件事撑了过去。

1. spiral｜越想越失控，情绪一路往下卷

记忆方法｜ 先想 a spiral staircase：螺旋楼梯一圈一圈延伸（可以向上，也可以向下）。放到情绪里，就是一个念头勾出下一个念头，越转越深，最后很难自己停住。

常见搭配｜ spiral into anxiety：一步步陷进焦虑 · spiral out of control：越来越失控 · start spiralling：开始越想越糟 · a downward spiral：一路恶化的状态

直接套用｜ I started spiralling after…：……之后我开始越想越失控。

例句｜I started spiralling after I saw the message and convinced myself something was wrong.

看到那条消息后，我越想越不对劲，最后几乎认定肯定出了什么事。

2. second-guess｜重新质疑自己的判断；质疑某个声音

记忆联想｜ 把 second guess 想成“再次判断”，帮助记住“重新质疑”。这不是严格的词源拆解。second-guess yourself 常指反复怀疑自己；原文 second-guess the anxiety voice 的对象是焦虑的声音，意思是质疑那些灾难化想法，而非继续自我否定。

常见结构｜ second-guess yourself：反复怀疑自己 · second-guess a decision：对已经做出的决定反复起疑 · second-guess everything you said：把自己刚才说的话全部重新检查一遍

直接套用｜ I kept second-guessing…：我一直在反复怀疑……

例句｜I kept second-guessing everything I had said during the interview.

面试结束后，我一直反复怀疑自己刚才说的每一句话。

3. catastrophise｜把事情自动推演到灾难结局

构词联想｜ 将 catastrophe（灾难）与动词后缀 -ise（使……化）联系起来记；注意词形变化，不是把完整单词直接拼接。脑子把一件普通的小事直接“灾难化”，就是 catastrophise。美式拼写常写 catastrophize。

词族｜ catastrophe：灾难 · catastrophic：灾难性的 · catastrophically：灾难性地 · catastrophising thoughts：灾难化思维

直接套用｜ I’m catastrophising this.：我又把这件事往最坏处想了。 · Stop catastrophising the situation.：别把这件事自动推演成灾难。

例句｜One awkward silence doesn’t mean the whole evening is a disaster, so try not to catastrophise it.

一次冷场不代表整晚都毁了，别急着把它想成灾难。

4. bring someone back down to reality｜把人从脑内剧情拉回现实

拆开记｜ back 是“回来”，down 是“从飘高的地方落下来”，reality 是事实本身。整组可以直接想成：脑子已经跑到最坏结局，某个问题把它重新拽回“现在真正发生了什么”。

常见结构｜ bring me back down to reality：把我拉回现实 · bring someone back to reality：让某人重新面对事实 · a reality check：一次现实检验

直接套用｜ Writing it down brought me back to reality.：把它写下来以后，我重新回到了事实本身。

例句｜Writing down what had actually happened brought me back down to reality.

把真正发生过的事情写下来以后，我的思绪终于回到了现实。

5. get through｜撑过去；从难熬的一段里走出来

记忆方法｜ through 就像穿过一条隧道：从这一头进去，最后从另一头出来。get through something 就是“这段过程很难，但我还是走到了另一头”。

常见搭配｜ get through the day：把这一天撑过去 · get through an interview：撑完整场面试 · get through a difficult period：熬过一段困难时期 · help someone get through something：陪某人度过难关

直接套用｜ I don’t know how I’ll get through…：我都不知道自己要怎么熬过……

例句｜I was nervous, but I got through the presentation without freezing up.

我很紧张，但还是顺利撑过了那场演讲，没有僵在台上。

6. make an idiot of yourself｜让自己显得很蠢；当众出丑

结构｜ make + an idiot / a fool + of + oneself。这里的 of yourself 把“出丑的人”重新指回主语自己。

常见说法｜ make an idiot of myself：让我自己出丑 · make a fool of yourself：让自己出洋相 · make a poor impression：给人留下不好的印象

直接套用｜ I was convinced I’d make an idiot of myself if…：我当时认定，只要……我肯定会出丑。

例句｜I was convinced I’d make an idiot of myself if I spoke up.

我当时认定，只要一开口就一定会出丑。

7. plague someone｜长期、反复地困扰某人

词义延伸｜ plague 作名词可以指“瘟疫”。作动词时，就把“反复侵扰、很难摆脱”的特征带进抽象问题里：疑虑、焦虑、问题、伤病都可以 plague 一个人。

常见搭配｜ be plagued by doubt：长期被怀疑困扰 · be plagued by anxiety：长期受焦虑折磨 · questions that plague someone：一直缠着某人的问题

直接套用｜ I was plagued by the thought that…：我一直被“……”这个念头缠着。

例句｜She was plagued by doubts about whether she had made the right decision.

她一直被“这个决定到底对不对”的疑虑困扰。

8. instil something in someone｜把某种观念或感受一点点灌进去

词源｜ instil 来自拉丁语 instillare，核心动作就是“滴入”。记忆时可以直接想成一滴一滴进入：confidence、fear、discipline、values 这些抽象东西慢慢在一个人心里形成。

常见结构｜ instil confidence in someone：给某人慢慢建立信心 · instil fear in someone：让恐惧逐渐扎进去 · instil a sense of responsibility：培养责任感

直接套用｜ X instilled confidence / fear in me.：X 慢慢让我建立了信心 / 产生了恐惧。

例句｜A supportive teacher can instil confidence in a nervous student.

一个支持型老师能慢慢帮紧张的学生建立信心。

9. spike｜突然冲高；出现尖峰

记忆方法｜ spike 原本就是“尖刺”。把折线图想象成突然竖起一根尖刺，价格、病例、压力、焦虑都可以这样一下子冲高。

常见搭配｜ anxiety spikes：焦虑突然升高 · stress levels spike：压力水平骤升 · prices spike：价格猛涨 · a spike in cases：病例数激增

直接套用｜ My anxiety spikes whenever…：每当……时，我的焦虑就会突然升高。

例句｜My anxiety always spikes right before I have to speak in public.

每次快要公开发言时，我的焦虑都会突然升高。

10. bump into someone｜偶然碰见某人

拆开记｜ bump 是“撞一下”，into 是“撞进 / 碰上”。所以 bump into someone 可以直接想成走着走着“撞见”一个熟人，重点就是事先没有约。

常见搭配｜ bump into an old friend：偶遇老朋友 · bump into someone at the supermarket：在超市碰巧遇到某人 · run into someone：偶然碰见某人

直接套用｜ I bumped into… on my way…：我在去……的路上偶然碰见了……

例句｜I bumped into an old classmate on my way home.

我回家路上偶然碰见了一个老同学。

这篇直接拿去用的 3 个句型

1. hate the prospect of + n. / doing｜一想到……就发怵 / 很抗拒

原文：I hated the prospect of new social situations.

仿写：I hate the prospect of networking with a room full of strangers.

我一想到要和一屋子陌生人社交应酬就很抗拒。

2. find yourself doing sth｜回过神来发现自己正在……

原文：I often found myself building up social situations to an unbearable point.

仿写：I found myself replaying the conversation long after everyone else had moved on.

别人早就翻篇了，我却发现自己还在脑中反复重播那段对话。

3. X overshadow Y｜X 逐渐压过 Y

原文：The false narrative … had begun to completely overshadow my desire to be around other people.

仿写：My fear of making mistakes started to overshadow my desire to speak English.

我对犯错的害怕，渐渐压过了我开口说英语的愿望。

自我追问就记这两句：

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

And then what?

先把最坏结果说出来，再继续追问“然后呢”。作者最后发现，最坏的结局往往只是：尴尬一下 → 回家 → 睡觉 → 第二天重新开始。

三词翻译挑战

今天只给 3 个词： spiral · catastrophise · second-guess

把下面这句翻成英文，三个词都要用进去：

我看到那条消息后开始越想越失控，把整件事直接想成了最坏结局，最后连自己刚才说过的话都开始反复怀疑。

换一个场景再用一次

把同一组词换到“工作聚餐 / 面试 / 约会 / 公开发言”里的任意一个场景：

Before ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿, I started ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿, catastrophised ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿, and second-guessed ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿.

再用原文的两个问题把自己拉回来：

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

And then what?