It was in 2014 that I began to take Lmore of an interest in birdwatching as a hobby and I had also started to recognize just how positive I felt when I was immersed in the world of birds. My worries seemed to fade into insignificance and when I was feeling stressed, if I counteracted it with some time outside, watching them, it drifted off like birds do, in a stiff breeze. I became aware of some relief from certain symptoms-low mood and lack of motivation—and noted elation and what I would describe as 'ultra-positivity'.
2014年，我开始对观鸟这项爱好产生更加浓厚的兴趣。我也开始发现，沉浸在鸟儿的世界中，自己竟是如此积极乐观。烦恼似乎变得微不足道。当我感到压力时，如果走到户外，花些时间观鸟，压力就会消解，像鸟儿一样在劲风中飘散。我意识到观鸟不仅缓解了某些症状，如情绪低落和缺乏动力，还明显提振了心情，带来我所说的“超积极状态”。
I keep talking about it, but what actually is mental health? UK mental health charity Mind' defines good mental health as 'being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life'This is an excellent and succinct defini tion, with 'bad' mental health being the polar opposite: a cloud of irrationality.darkening and subduing everything.Mind provides some stark statistics about mental health in the UK with the most common and also most recognized mental health problems, anxiety and depression, affecting 5.9 and 3.3 people in every 100.
我一直在讨论心理健康，但它究竟为何？英国心理健康慈善机构Mind把良好的心理健康状态定义为“一个人在生活中通常能按照自己需要和想要的方式来思考，感受并庭对”。这是一条精准凝练的定义。心理健康状态不好则与之截然相反，它就像一团非理性的乌云，让一切变得黑暗目压抑。Mina组织提供的一些有关英国心理健康的数据令人触目惊心。其中，焦虑和抑郁是最具普遍性与认知度的心理健康问题。焦虑症和抑郁症的患病率分别为5.9%和3.3%。
Mind has coined the term ecotherapy,stating that it describes a range of regular and structured activities that take place outdoors and are beneficial to wellbeing.I became instantly aware that birdwatching-at least how I regarded it-was a form of ecotherapy.
Mind组织创造了“生态疗法”这个词。据他们所述，生态疗法是指定期进行的一系列有组织且利于身心健康的户外活动。我立刻意识到观鸟——至少在我看来——就是一种生态疗法。
Garden bird feeding is by far the easiest and most accessible way to engage with birdwatching. Nature and birdwatching can offer us a great deal of stability. In the life of someone living with daily mental health issues these consistencies can act as an anchor to the present and provide grounding². Take time to notice the simple pleasures around you,especially when it comes to your garden bird community. Welcome the brazen blackbird as he cocks his head on your lawn, searching for worms. Embrace the characterful robin, singing from every available song post and shadowing you as you turn over your flowerbeds. Take notice.
去花园喂鸟是最简单、最易实现的观鸟活动。大自然和观鸟能让我们极大地稳定情绪。对每天忍受心理健康问题的人而言，坚持观鸟可以帮助他们锚定当下、安定心神。花点儿时间关注身边简单的快乐，尤其是花园里的鸟群。欢迎大胆的乌鸦到草坪上歪着头寻觅虫子；接纳有个性的知更鸟落在每个可停落的枝头一展歌喉，当你翻整花圃时让它跟在后面。用心去观察吧！
In my survey, someone wrote that,'Everything else is blocked out as you scan through a flock of waders.' What a lovely statement and thought, of scanning through a flock of birds to find your troubles dissipating. When your line of vision is cocooned by your binocular barrels, the distractions of the outside world are shut out. The only object of attention is whatever is encased within those lenses and everything else,lingering in the periphery, fades away.The mind can wander and relax, whilst still in the security of a visual and mental cushion. It allows you to disappear into an insular world-the world of pirds through an optical lens.
在我的调查中，有人写通。当目光掉过一群涉水鸟、便会把其他任何东西都抛诸新后。”看看鸟群，烦恼就会清失，多么奇妙的表达和想法！当视线被双简望远镜罩住，外界的干扰就被隔绝了。注意力只集中在镜头里，其他一切都停留在视野边缘、逐渐消散。思绪可以漫游、放松，同时仍然受到视觉和精神的保护。透过光学镜片，可以遁入一个与世隔绝的世界一—鸟的世界。
This idea is resonant with that of 'flow', a subjective state that was identified by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, through various studies and observations. Flow was described by his respondents as a 'current that carried them along effortlessly'—exactly how I feel when I'm outside and embracing my senses. When in a state of flow, it's felt that you can become so involved in something that you detach from time,fatigue and everything but the activity itself. It's also described as a 'merging of action and awareness', which is a lovely way of describing birdwatching too-especially when it transcends on to a more emotional or spiritual level.
这与“心流”的理念不谋而合。“心流”是一种主观状态，由美籍匈牙利裔心理学家米哈伊·奇克森特米哈伊通过各种研究和观察发现。他的受访者将“心流”描述为“带着他们轻松前进的水流”。这恰恰是我驻足户外、潜心体验时的感受。处于“心流”状态时，会感觉自己进人一种全心投入的状态，脱离时间、疲惫和其他一切，只专注于活动本身。也有人把这种状态描述为“行动和意识的融合”，以此描述观鸟也是很有意思的一种说法——特别是当它上升到更深的情感或精神层面时。
As you become more confident in your avian and outdoor awareness,an additional sense starts developing.It's an acute awareness of any slight movement seen in vegetation, however deep or dense. I find that I can stop anywhere, allow my senses to sharpen and my breathing to slow, until I fall into an almost meditative state. I begin to detect movement and as I scan, either with binoculars or the naked eye, I start to pick up these kinetic nuances in all areas of my peripheral vision.
随着对鸟类和户外环境的认知加深，一种新的感知开始形成。这是一种敏锐的感知力，能够察觉出草木深处的任何细微动静。我发现自己可以随处驻足，让感官变得敏锐，放缓呼吸，直至进入一种近乎冥想的状态。我开始观察周围的动静，借助望远镜或肉眼，边扫视边用眼角所有的余光捕捉各种细微动态。
This is all part of the waiting game that birds often play with you. You have to counter them by honing your innate ability to notice the subtle motions in nature. Waiting. Breathing. Knowing that a skulking bird is behind that foliage, or hearing a snatch of birdsong and patiently preparing for the singer to appear. This game of hide and seek can be invigorating-especially if you're using all your senses to locate a bird. It requires patience, where mindfulness approaches such as slow breathing and immersive observation can be helpful, ultimately promoting relaxation and calm.
这便是鸟儿经常会和观者玩的等待游戏的一部分。观者必须磨炼自身天赋，留意自然界中微妙的变化以应对它们。等待。呼吸。知道有一只鸟儿躲藏在树叶后面，或听到一段喝啾后，耐心等待“歌手”出场。这种躲猫猫游戏叫人精神一振，尤其是要调动所有感官去寻找一只鸟的时候。这需要耐心，采用放慢呼吸、全神货注观察等正念方法会有所帮助，最终让人放松和平静下来。
I believe that the more I've taken notice of and absorbed the natural world around me, the more self-aware I've become. I contemplate things, I relax, I inhale and I take notice. This has helped me also to recognize when I'm stressed or my mood is low and to become more aware of myself and my interactions with the world around me.
我相信，我越是关注并浸于周围的自然世界，就会超了解自己。我沉思默想，放松心情，呼吸吐纳，细致观察。这也帮助我意识到何时身感压力或情绪低落，使我更加了解自己以及与周围环境的互动。
A few practical tips about taking notice of birds
实用观鸟小贴士
• Get to know the birds in your garden or any nearby outdoor space and notice how they behave and interact.
了解自己花园里或附近任一户外空间的鸟类，观察它们的行为和互动方式。
• Try to develop a sense of 'being'whilst birdwatching, rather than overtly trying.
观鸟时试着营造一种“融入感”，不要大张旗鼓。
• Take time to notice the intricacies of feather patterns and markings. Some of the most beautiful, underrated birds are around us every day.
多花时间观察羽毛图案和斑纹的精致细节。在我们身边，每天都会有一些极其美丽却被低估的鸟儿。
• Pay attention to how being outside and engaging with birds makes you feel. Harness positive experiences and try to recognize what makes them so.
关注身处户外、与鸟儿互动时的感受。享受愉快的体验，试着弄清是什么令人愉悦。
• Reflect on and absorb the colors in nature and in outdoor settings. Try to appreciate them more everywhere.
认真体会、欣赏自然界和户外环境的各种色彩。无论身处何地，都要多去欣赏。
• Develop your "bird sense'——it can reveal so many of nature's secrets to you.
培养“观鸟感知力”——它能揭示自然界的许多秘密。
(译者单位：南京航空航天大学外国语学院）
