One of the biggest problems we have as we age is a decline in mental functioning. We start to forget things more easily, our comebacks aren’t as snappy, and we generally feel our thinking is more sluggish. If you want to know how to improve mental health and slow down our mental decline, you have to try this puzzle!
Look at the puzzle below first and see if you can find your name.
Were you able to find it? It’s actually in there 3 times. Did you catch all 3?
If you didn’t find it, don’t fret – your name isn’t actually in there… “yourname” is!
Confused?
Look again, but this time look directly for the word “yourname”. It’s found 3 times in different positions.
Check your answers against this solution:
These kinds of crossword puzzles are good for your health. They are the top recommended puzzle by doctors for keeping mental health in tip-top shape.
One of the biggest reasons is the lack of multi-tasking (multi-tasking isn’t even a real thing – you’re simply task switching and it’s hurting your productivity, but that’s for another article!) Because you aren’t multitasking during a puzzle, you can focus on one thing. Multitasking puts the frontal lobe of your brain under large amounts of stress, and single tasking eliminates that stress (as long as you’re doing something fun and engaging.)
When our bodies are under stress, they release a chemical called cortisol. Too much cortisol can cause a lot of damage to your body if not properly managed.
They’re a fun way to beat boredom once in a while, too. They can help us unwind and relax at the end of a stressful day. If you incorporate this puzzle activity into your routine, you’ll start to have a better overall mental health. Just turn off the technology, kick back, and relax for 10-15 minutes with a good puzzle (or more, if you’re feeling it!)
Additionally, if you didn’t have enough with the last puzzle, here’s another one you can try to sharpen your mental health:
There are 6 words hidden in this image. See if you can find them all!
Were you able to find all 6 words?
If not, here are the answers (don’t ruin it for yourself if you didn’t find them!):
- “Novel” on the father’s arm chair
- “Book” on the father’s glasses
- “Story” on the mother’s book
- “Read” on the dog’s ears and the girl’s head
- “Words” on the bottom of the tree’s leaves
- “Page” on the boy’s shorts and shirt
I hope you’ve enjoyed these puzzles and found them helpful! If you were able to solve them or if you know of any other great puzzles, leave me a comment to let me know.
Additionally, if you’re hungering for more puzzles or want a resource you can use anytime you want, check out thewordsearch.com. For added benefit, print the puzzles so you can do them without staring at a screen. Screens give off a light which reduces the amount of melatonin (the chemical your brain releases to help you fall asleep) you create. This makes it harder to fall asleep, and is a cause of the wide-spread insomnia we have today.
Finally, if you’re starting to get bored of wordsearch puzzles, crossword puzzles also have very similar benefits and can be a fun change of pace. If you want to start doing crossword puzzles, go to this website. If you don’t like that one, you can also go here. If phone apps are more your style, try this one for iOS or this one for Android.
Good luck, and I hope your mental health stays strong and your brain stays alert!
