Visit A National Park

Community | 5.15.2016 | By Daya Alexander Grant, PH.D., M.S.

This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the National Park Service.  To celebrate the Centennial and to do something good for your brain, visit a National Park.

Spending time in nature is especially healing after a TBI, which often renders you easily overstimulated.  The fluorescent lights and constant sounds of everyday life are draining at the least and debilitating at the worst.  But, the natural sounds of a park can be quite soothing.  

Your brain fatigues, just like every other part of our body, so it’s important to allow it to rest and reset.  In fact, one study showed that people performed better on creative problem-solving tasks after 3 days in the wilderness than before spending time in nature.

There are 59 National Parks in the U.S. across 27 states, with California containing the most (9) protected areas of any state.  Take a look at this list and schedule a vacation to one of our country’s beautiful parks this summer!