《那个奏效的改变：我筋疲力尽又压力重重——然后我发现了一个蒸汽解决方案 The one change that worked: I was burned out and stressed – then I found a steamy solution

Earlier this year, I was approaching burnout. I felt as though my career as a freelance journalist was on permanent life-support, I was juggling a hectic family life, and I was consumed with worry about a world seemingly hellbent on self-destruction. I was struggling, too, with the death of a close family member and an old school friend. Grieving had become a default status. Despite support from family and loved ones, I needed to find a way to cope with this nearly overwhelming sense of loss.
今年早些时候，我正接近职业倦怠。我感觉我的自由记者生涯仿佛处于永久性生命支持状态，我忙于处理繁忙的家庭生活，并且为这个似乎注定自我毁灭的世界而忧虑。我还挣扎于一位亲密家人和一位老同学去世的悲痛之中。哀悼已成为我的默认状态。尽管得到了家人和爱人的支持，我仍需要找到一种方法来应对这种几乎令人难以承受的失落感。

I tried meditation, yoga and therapy, which all helped. Then I heard of Community Sauna Baths, a not-for-profit project in London designed to make saunas accessible and affordable for everyone. From my very first visit, I felt something change. A sense of peace came over me. It immediately felt like a sanctuary, a pocket of calm in the chaotic city that also allowed me to soothe this churning sadness and release some of the bottled-up angst.
我尝试过冥想、瑜伽和治疗，这些都有所帮助。然后我听说了一个名为“社区桑拿浴室”的非营利项目，这是一个位于伦敦的项目，旨在让桑拿对所有人均等且价格合理。从我的第一次访问开始，我感觉到了一些变化。一种平静感笼罩了我。它立刻感觉像是一个庇护所，是混乱城市中的一片宁静之地，同时也让我得以抚慰这种翻腾的悲伤，释放一些积压的焦虑。

Now, I visit regularly. I tend to go alone but the atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming, and it’s easy to strike up conversation with other guests. Even on busy days, people go out of their way to give each other sauna bench space. There’s a genuine sense of community.
现在，我经常去那里。我通常一个人去，但氛围总是友好和欢迎，很容易和其他客人搭话。即使在繁忙的日子，人们也会特意为彼此腾出桑拿浴位。这里有一种真正的社区感。

There are so many benefits to saunas, I now realise. They reduce stress by releasing endorphins, and help to improve cardiovascular and muscle health. My hamstrings, which usually feel as if they’re permanently encased in cement, have loosened up dramatically. I feel so much more flexible now. I also enjoy the sensory experience of saunas: the smell of the wood, the sizzling of water ladled on hot stones – and, though perhaps less so, the bracing shock of the cold plunge pools afterwards, in which I tend to last a matter of seconds before bailing …
我现在意识到桑拿有很多好处。它们通过释放内啡肽来减压，并有助于改善心血管和肌肉健康。我通常感觉像被水泥永久包裹的小腿肌肉，现在已经大大放松了。我现在感觉灵活多了。我还喜欢桑拿的感官体验：木材的香味，水浇在热石头上的滋滋声——虽然可能没那么明显，但之后冰水游泳池的刺骨冲击，我通常只坚持几秒钟就跳出来了……

I’d always prided myself on my ability to take heat. Partly, I assumed, it had to do with my mum’s Anglo-Indian heritage; partly, a few childhood years living in the scorching Middle East. But I usually – foolishly – framed this ease with higher temperatures as some kind of endurance test.
我一直以自己能忍受高温而自豪。部分原因，我假设这与我母亲盎格鲁-印度血统有关；部分原因，我童年时在酷热的中东生活了几年。但我通常——愚蠢地——将这种高温下的舒适感视为某种耐力测试。

I’ve visited saunas before, sporadically, but they turned into how-long-can-you-last competitions, my sweat-soaked torso and singed nasal hair becoming some sort of weird perseverance prize. The therapeutic part of the experience went up in steam.
我以前也去过桑拿房，但只是偶尔去，结果变成了看谁坚持更久的比赛，我汗流浃背的躯干和焦黑的鼻毛成了某种奇怪的毅力奖。体验中的疗愈部分都被蒸汽冲走了。

But now my visits to the sauna feel like exercises in mindfulness; the heat helps you stay focused and present. It feels as if my negative thoughts are being flushed away. It’s like a deep cleanse for body and soul.
但现在我去桑拿房感觉像是在进行正念练习；热量帮助你保持专注和活在当下。感觉我的负面想法正在被冲洗掉。这就像对身体和灵魂的深度净化。

I emerge from a session feeling rejuvenated, both deeply relaxed and strangely energised. It helps realign my sense of emotional balance. I feel physically and mentally more limber, too, as if some of my old anxieties have literally evaporated. My future is still uncertain but I know I can face it now with the heat of new vigour and purpose.
我从一次桑拿体验中焕然一新，既感到深度放松，又奇怪地充满活力。它帮助我重新调整情感平衡感。我感觉身体和思维都更加灵活，仿佛我的一些旧焦虑真的蒸发了。我的未来仍然不确定，但我知道我现在可以用新的活力和目标去面对。