想經常開心可能不太容易，但想不開心、危害自己的精神健康，就非常簡單。 Amanda Gardner就教大家一些必然奏效的方法。
文章的標題是”12 Ways We Sabotage Our Mental Health”。 Sabotage是動詞，解deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct （something）, especially for political or military advantage，蓄意破壞；例如︰The government’s computer network was sabotaged.（政府的電腦系統遭到蓄意破壞。）
別做運動 心懷怨恨
Saboteur是名詞，解刻意破壞者；例如︰The damage to the building was the work of saboteurs.（建築物的損毀是破壞者做的好事。）”12 ways we sabotage our mental health”，就是「12個損害精神健康的方法」。這些方法很有效，持之以恆去實踐，當中一、兩個都足以造成很大影響。最容易的是「別做運動」。為什麼有效？
In addition to keeping your body in shape, physical activity plays a key role in propping up（撐住） mood; it can even help ease the symptoms of depression（情緒低落） and anxiety（焦慮）. Regular exercise appears to have a positive effect on brain chemicals and mood-related hormones, and it may confer psychological benefits （such as increased confidence） that foster better mental health.
但若你想開心，不妨多做運動。不用貪心，開始時每天brisk walk（急步行）15、20分鐘就可以，”even modest（有限的、不多的）exercise routines are associated with improved mood（心情）”。
另一個簡易的方法是「缺乏睡眠」︰
Anyone who’s missed out on sleep thanks to a deadline or bawling infant（放聲大哭的嬰兒） is familiar with the irritability（易發怒）, stress, and gloom（天昏地暗） that can set in the next day. If sleep deprivation（睡眠不足） and disturbances become chronic, they increase a person’s risk of developing depression or anxiety disorders.
Obsessive thinking是精神健康的破壞王。 Obsessive解痴迷的、執着的、難以釋懷的︰
Turning the same thoughts over and over again in your mind sends your body and brain into the stressed-out state（非常焦慮的） known as fight or flight. Your breathing and heart rate quicken, and your body releases the stress hormones adrenaline（腎上腺素） and cortisol（皮質醇）, all of which takes a toll on both your physical and emotional health.
Bottling up anger也很有效。 Bottle up解掩蓋（情緒）、抑制（感情）。經常心懷怨恨，保持憤憤不平的心態，包保對心理有害︰
Anger and frustration are completely normal reactions to life’s inevitable challenges. But when you suppress those feelings and let your grudges（積怨） and grievances fester（化膿、健康惡化）, it can backfire.
Perfectionism，吹毛求疵，過量飲酒、過量工作、做宅男或宅女；或social isolation，拒絕社交，自我封閉，都是危害心理健康的好方法。這些都是自己可以控制的生活方式和習慣，但我們偏偏就自找麻煩。難怪Amanda Gardner說︰”when it comes to mental health, our daily habits and patterns of thinking can be our own worst enemy”。
做對自己有害的事，叫self-defeating，亦即弄巧成拙的、不利於自己的。 Mark Goulston和Philip Goldberg合著的Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior，教大家改變40種最常見的self-defeating習慣，包括procrastination（拖延）、envy（嫉妒）、self-pity（自怨自艾）等等。
