Last month, a fun Valentine arrived. To my delight, dear friend, Gayle, sent me a butterfly jigsaw puzzle with a nod to the Simply Stated message about sending a little love to honor a relationship. We share a passion for photography, especially butterflies.
Besides the fun of a challenge, there are great benefits in doing puzzles. An article from South Mountain Memory Care, in Pennsylvania, mentioned "people who do jigsaw and crossword puzzles have longer life spans with less chances of developing Alzheimer's disease, memory loss or dementia."*
Not only this great benefit, but doing puzzles is good as a meditation tool and stress reliever.
Another news item was from "The Bronx 20-year longitudinal Aging Study,"** that self-reported crossword puzzle use was associated with a 2.54 year delay in dementia onset. As an avid user of puzzles, what a great reason to do more! I can help my long-term mental capacity, and relieve a little stress. Plus, puzzles do a lot for creativity by engaging the mind to figure out solutions!
Try this - A Puzzle a Day
For the next week, consider doing at least one puzzle a day just to see if it helps with your stress, focus, attention span or creativity.
Here are a few ideas whether online, mobile apps, or printed version to take your puzzle break:
- Jigsaw Puzzle
- Word Search
- Word Scramble
- Crossword puzzle
- Sudoku
During my workday, I use Microsoft Casual Games on my laptop. With an amazing collection from word games, jigsaw, mahjong, solitaire and more, I can jumpstart my creativity and refocus after a few games!
* South Mountain Memory Care article about jigsaw puzzles: http://www.southmountainmemorycare.com/blog/30-7-surprising-benefits-of-doing-jigsaw-puzzles-for-all-ages-2
** Cognitive Vitality article about brain puzzles: https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/can-a-puzzle-a-day-keep-dementia-at-bay