Puzzled

 Welcome to the challenging world of Puzzled, where a puzzled mind is a happy mind. 

 I fondly remember the days of my youth when the entire family would be gathered around the table working on a oversized jigsaw puzzle.  I dare say, we never had a visitor who could resist the urge to try and fit in at least one piece.  Those puzzles, started by my Mom, became a longstanding family tradition.  Friends and relatives got in on the action, and more than a few completed works were painstakingly glued together and displayed proudly on the walls of our home. 

There’s something uniquely magnetic about puzzles in any form.  Be it brain teasers, jigsaws, crosswords or even that relentless rubic’s cube, we are all drawn to the challenge that puzzles provide.  Unlocking the mystery to uncouple two solid looking rings, or travelling by pencil through a complicated maze, puzzles can humble us in our frustration or elevate us in our victory.

The mind was not made to sit idle.  There’s a reason people fall asleep watching television.   A puzzle stimulates our brain cells, and studies have shown they help improve everything from memory to coordination.  I dare say, we probably learn a little patience too. 

Aside from being a great learning tool, working on challenges, such as puzzles and brain teasers, releases chemicals in our brain to increase our alertness and combat fatigue.  Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out a work?  Grab the paper and work on the crossword during your coffee break.  Mind challenges leave you feeling more in control, reduce stress and get your brain to focus.

Certainly, nobody knows better than teachers about the benefits of even the simplest brain busters.  Nothing quiets are room full of seven year olds quicker than putting a search-a-word in front of them.  Puzzles and brain teasers are not only exceptionally engaging, but they also help build long and short term memory. 

Of-course, the absolute #1 reason for delving into brain busters, mind challenges and puzzles is simply because they are pure fun.  You might wonder at that, since many times they can leave you hapless and frustrated.  But in reality, working on brain teasers and other puzzling challenges releases endorphins, which are of-course, the brain’s happy vibe. 

There is no age that is too young or too old to delight in the wonders of our puzzling world.  Toddlers will spend hours figuring out how to make blocks fit into their shape sorter, while grandma sits and works on her crypt-o-gram.  The action of video games builds hand-eye coordination, while jigsaws develop spatial reasoning.

Math puzzles, word puzzles, brain teasers, games and gizmo’s.  They all add up to a challenge the human mind cannot resist.  And in return for taking up the challenge, we lower our stress, find our happy place and sleep better.  So go ahead, puzzle your mind.  You’ll be happy that you did.