从恐惧到归属：我与森林的不期而遇（散文，中英对照）

多项研究表明，亲近自然能为健康带来显著益处。随着生态疗法（ecotherapy）逐渐受到重视，越来越多医生开始在处方笺上写下“走出家门（go outside）”，不再将自然视为休闲消遣，而是一剂疗愈身心的良方。

Studies have repeatedly shown that time spent in nature brings measurable health benefits. As ecotherapy gains traction, a growing number of physicians are beginning to write “go outside” on prescription pads—treating nature not as leisure, but as medicine.

但对我们当中的一些人来说，"接触大自然"的活动与其生活方式相去甚远。

But for some of us, nature was never part of life to begin with.

在我成长的环境里，大自然的花草树木是某种被控制，受约束的存在，是供人欣赏的景观，而不是让人探寻，冒险的地方。加拿大的森林则恰恰相反：它无拘无束、难以预测，初次闯入甚至会令人不安，与我所熟悉的那些修剪整齐的公园和井然有序的旅游景点形成鲜明对比。幽深的峡谷与森林显得神秘而带有威胁感：茂密的灌木、崎岖不平的小径，以及高耸树木投下的阴影，都让人心生畏惧。寂静中偶尔传来的动物嚎叫，更添几分诡异。一步踩空，可能摔倒；一个转弯走错，可能迷失方向。这些无论是真实存在，还是源于想象的危险都足以让我望而却步。

In the environments I grew up in, nature was curated and contained. The Canadian forest felt like the opposite—unstructured, unpredictable, and, at first, unsettling. It stood in stark contrast to the manicured parks and structured tourist sites I was used to. The ravines and forests felt mysterious and threatening—dense bushes, uneven trails, dark shadows under towering trees. The silence, occasionally broken by animal sounds, felt eerie. A wrong step could mean a fall; a wrong turn could mean getting lost. The risks—real or imagined—were enough to keep me away.

几年前，我搬到了史托维尔（Stouffville）以北、被森林环绕的社区 Ballantrae。家门几步之遥，便是约克区众多的森林公园之一。我曾几次试图走进森林，却每每被莫名的恐惧攫住，最终转身折返。然而，那片原始野性的神秘感却始终吸引着我。经过几次失败的尝试，我终于战胜了恐惧心理而闯跨越了那条分割社区和森林的边界线。

A few years ago, I moved to Ballantrae, a forested community north of Stouffville. My home sits just steps from one of York Region’s many wooded trails. I tried several times to walk into the forest, only to find myself gripped by fear and turning back. Yet something about that wildness kept drawing me in. After several failed attempts, I finally crossed that invisible boundary.

但我所在其中所经历的并非险境而是安详和大自然的震慑力。

What I later found was not danger, but calm.

渐渐地，森林抚平了我躁动不安的心。我开始觉得，自己仿佛成了它的一部分。冬天，松枝披满皑皑的白雪，银装素裹；秋天，金灿灿的枫叶遍布枝丫，美景如画。春天，鸟鸣在空气中悠扬回荡，此起彼伏。 森林那清冽的空气，成为必不可少的氧巴。曾经困扰我的焦虑，迷路的恐惧、对野生动物的担忧，以及对未知的戒备，也慢慢烟消云散。

Gradually, the forest quieted my restless mind. I began to feel part of it. Winter brought snow-laden pine branches; fall, a blaze of gold and red. In spring, birdsong filled the air. The crisp scent of the forest became familiar, even comforting. The anxiety I once felt—about getting lost, about animals, about the unknown—began to fade.

一个夏日，我正带着我的德国牧羊犬在森林里散步，突如其来的一场雷暴毫无预警地袭来。大雨穿过层层树冠倾泻而下。我的狗顿时慌了，狂吠着，拼命拉扯牵引绳，急着想逃离。但最近的出口仍在一公里之外，一时半会根本没处逃。

One summer day, I was walking in the forest with my German shepherd when a thunderstorm broke without warning. Rain poured through the canopy. My dog panicked, barking and pulling hard on the leash, desperate to run. But the nearest exit was still more than a kilometre away. Running was not an option.

我紧紧拉住我的德牧，试图让她安静下来。我们找到一棵倒下的树，在树干上坐了下来，目睹着头顶的树冠将倾盆大雨竭力遮挡。硕大的雨滴重重砸在树叶上，又四散弹开。我的狗仍在发抖，但我身上却发生了意想不到的变化。没有恐惧，只有平静。思绪没有失控，身体也没有惊恐的反应。尽管浑身湿透，我却感到一种难以言喻的喜悦，一种归属感，甚至一种宾至如归的奇妙感受。

I held her back and told her to calm down. We found a fallen tree and sat on it, watching as the canopy scattered the heavy rain. Large drops struck the leaves and bounced away. My dog trembled, but something unexpected happened to me. Instead of fear, I felt stillness. My mind did not spiral. My body did not react with panic. Despite being soaked, I felt a quiet sense of joy—a feeling of belonging, even of being at home.

那一刻的感受，就连我自己都感到惊讶。我竟能以一种自己从未经历的平静面对这一切，这对几年前的我来说，是根本无法想象的。

That moment surprised me. I had handled it with a calm I did not know I possessed—something unimaginable to the person I was just a few years earlier.

也许，这正是为什么越来越多科学研究印证了我的这种情绪的转变。研究显示，经常置身于大自然的人，焦虑和抑郁的发生率较低。即使只是短短20分钟的与自然的接触，也能帮助降低人体的压力荷尔蒙皮质醇水平。最新研究还发现，大自然有助于恢复专注力，减轻精神负荷，并有助于抑制脑海中那持续不断的喧嚣噪音。

Perhaps that is why a growing body of research now supports what I experienced intuitively. Studies show that people who spend time in natural environments have lower rates of anxiety and depression. Exposure to nature—even for as little as 20 minutes—can reduce cortisol levels. More recent research suggests that nature helps restore attention, reduce mental overload and quiet the constant noise of the mind.

直到今天，我仍每天都步入森林。

I continue to walk daily in the forest to this day.

我曾望而却步的地方，却成了我每日必不可少的生活日程。

What I once avoided, I now depend on.

越来越多医生认为，亲近自然并非奢侈的休闲选择，而是人类最基本的健康需求，其重要性丝毫不逊于睡眠、饮食和运动。

As some physicians are beginning to recognize, nature is not optional. It is a basic human need—no less essential than sleep, diet and exercise.