While cities can be invigorating and exciting, they can also make your brain turn to mush. Ever feel worn out after an afternoon of shopping or exhausted after running a few errands? And then wondered why you felt so tired? Or why some kids have a hard time staying focused at school?
New studies show that our brains work full-time just to process an overload of stimulus in urban settings. Your brain doesn’t get a break. From heavy traffic to flashing crosswalk signs, to watching people walk across a street before you make a turn, your brain is always taking in information and processing it. If you feel ovewhelmed with the number of stores and sales and special discounts, it’s your mind being literally unable to take it in anymore.
When a child is complaining about school, he or she may be bothered by the lights, the noise, by other kids wiggling in their seats, or by someone bouncing a ball outside. So what’s the solution? Learn new reasons why trees and nature are vital to our own and our families’ mental and physical well-being.
photo credit: Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)
