Rediscovering jigsaw puzzles!

When was the last time you had a go at a jigsaw puzzle I wonder? 

I have always enjoyed settling in with a jigsaw on a Sunday afternoon when it is dark outside but I have recently found myself pondering on what it is that this quiet pastime gives me.

Along with manufacturers of traditional board games, puzzle manufacturers have noted a steep demand in recent years. It seems there is a bit of a retro-revolution going on.

I have come to see that focussing on a puzzle offers me the perfect antidote to the noisy insistence that comes with modern technology and, because this pastime requires my full attendance, it becomes a mindfulness practice in its own right.

I have learned that there are other benefits too.

Since jigsaw puzzles exercise both the left, logical and linear brain, and the right, creative and intuitive brain, both sides of the brain are engaged so it offers it a bit of a mental workout. 

By increasing connections between brain cells, doing a jigsaw puzzle can improve mental speed and short-term memory (hence patients with dementia are often encouraged to have a go).

Furthermore, jigsaw puzzles improve visual-spatial reasoning because of the need to look at an individual peace and figure out where it fits into the big picture, sometimes relying on its shape and others on its colour or design.

I am about to start on a seascape - how about you?