昨天，我在公共卫生间洗手的时候，把结婚戒指摘下来放在了洗手台上，可离开的时候忘记把戒指戴上了。等我觉得不对劲儿，想起戒指落在洗手间的时候，已经是15分钟以后了。我赶忙往洗手间狂奔，当时的心情，可以用下面这个习惯用语来形容：beside oneself。
beside oneself的意思是“情绪失控，发狂”。在我意识到自己把结婚戒指落在了公共厕所里时：
- I was beside myself!
我都快急疯了！
好在等我冲到卫生间时，戒指还好好地在洗手台上，幸亏那天人少！
在下面这段话中，我们要听到另外一种情绪失控，不过是很令人羡慕的情况：
- Hearing that we had just won the lottery was so overwhelming. We were beside ourselves. Just think: we'd become millionaires. Now we could pay off our mortgage and put our kids to college. And there would still be enough money left to travel around the world."
听说我们赢了彩票，这消息实在太让人吃惊了。我们简直高兴得不知道怎么办好。想想吧：我们是百万富翁了。现在我们可以还清房屋贷款，供孩子上大学，剩下的钱还足够我们周游世界。
我要是赢了彩票，就会找个投资顾问好好帮我管理这笔钱。很多中了大彩的人因为挥霍无度而千金散尽，最后甚至破产。那时：
- They're beside themselves with fear and worry.
他们陷入极度的恐惧和担忧中。
在刚才的例句中，中了彩票的人are beside themselves with joy，得意忘形，乐晕了。而在下面这个例句中的人也遇到了意想不到的事儿，但心情却完全不同：
- When Rosa returned to the parking lot, she discovered that her brand new car had a big dent. Someone had hit her vehicle and not left a note. Now she had to call her insurance company, and then arrange for repairs. Aaargh! The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. She was beside herself with anger.
罗斯回到停车场的时候发现她新买的车凹下去了一大块。有人撞了她的车，也没留张字条就溜走了。现在，罗斯不得不给自己的保险公司打电话，然后还要安排修车的事儿。啊！她越想越气，简直是气得发狂。
说到撞车，我的邻居曾经在一个下大雨的深夜里撞了一个人，主要是因为雨太大，她没看到那个行人。好在当时她车开得很慢，被撞的人没什么大碍，不过：
- My neighbor was beside herself with grief for not seeing the man.
我的邻居当时只恨自己为什么没看到人。
