Healing My Brain

An article in the May 2012 issue of Backpacking Magazine details how wilderness exposure helps a person think and focus more clearly, and perform at a higher cognitive ability. After three days of hiking and backcountry living, the test subjects improved their cognitive performance on simple tests by 50%. Apparently, the frontal lobe of the brain, critical to our thinking when we multitask, is able to rest while we engage in a more stream-of-consciousness type of thinking.

Our family has lived now for five years in Northern Virginia, a very busy place. Our lifestyle required daily multitasking as we attended both to a demanding schedule and the pressures of raising a young family. I have found myself so mentally fatigued from the constant multitasking and stress that I have been hungry for simplicity.

Wilderness living seems to fit the bill for a bit of mental recovery! Right now, we are camped in a remote area in southwestern Colorado. We are living quite communally with Skye's cousin's family, his folks, and our family. We have three rigs parked in an open field on private, secluded land. The clean air and easy rhythm of life are like a healing balm to my tired mind. The nights are cold, the days hot (and variable), the children satisfied with outdoor play, and the schedule practically non-existent. Our meals are cooked over a fire pit dug by the men, and archery with cousins, birding with Grandma, playing with the dogs, and hiking are favorite activities. Already our family seems more tightly knit, and the respite is soothing to the soul.