Ahhh, the senior years…known by some as the season of memory loss. Let’s determine how these years are going to look different for us: let’s stock up on puzzles. The therapeutic benefits can be life-changing!
Consider this: You wake up to a dreary day. Your typical walk is rained out and there’s nothing fascinating as you click on the TV. Sitting down to do a puzzle with a friend, or even a stranger, can make all the difference. The conversation and laughter that can occur around a puzzle table can override a cloudy day instantly. Come prepared with a list of questions for your puzzle partner: What’s your fondest childhood memory? Who was your first true love? What’s the best meal you make and who would you love to share it with if you had your pick of anyone in the world? What’s left on your bucket list? (Who knows? The next time you see your puzzle friend, you might just decide to start crossing off activities on that list!)
The scenario above isn’t just about making new friends; it’s also a very healthy interaction to keep your mind healthy. Consider how much energy used to go into business meetings or working toward accomplishing projects in the workplace. Your mind is challenged when you work with someone to problem-solve and finish a puzzle, and this simple activity can go a long way in keeping up your social skills.
There are several physiological advantages to working puzzles as well. It’s an excellent aid in improving your long-term and short-term memory. Keep in mind that your brain is an organ, and it needs strengthening and exercise. Finding pieces to a jigsaw puzzle or digging up the right answer to a crossword or Sudoku is utilizing the precise part of your brain that needs the most exercise in your senior years…the part that stores memories. Make puzzles a part of your daily life, and over time you just may find that names come more quickly to mind as well!
Memory is not the only thing that is affected by completing puzzles. It is one of those activities that actually activates both sides of your brain; it connects and tones the portions of your brain used in critical thinking, creativity, even visual-spatial reasoning.
And how about your mood? Working to solve puzzles is known to lower blood pressure and heart rate while it provides an outlet of relaxation and fun. And that rush of adrenaline when you find that piece you couldn’t find for days? There’s nothing like that feeling to turn a dreary day in to hours and hours of enjoyment and accomplishment
What’s that you say? You don’t have any puzzles? No problem. The Best Jigsaw Puzzles you can Play Right Now are available with the click of a button. Explore your options and start enjoying one of America’s greatest pastimes today!
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