Here in Devon, the sun is shining brightly, and it's giving us all something to smile about. As we look out of the window, there's barely a cloud in the sky, the birds are cheeping and it's very calm and quiet. During these difficult times, it's good to take stock of little moments of joy, like the warmth of the sun shining on your face or that gentle breeze blowing through the window. Now more than ever, it's really important to look after our mental health. We're all trying to get used to the idea of the 'new normal', and it's important that we all do it together and look after one another, which we know everyone is doing so wonderfully.
A real sense of community spirit
Since the start of the lock down, we’ve seen a great rise in community
spirit on our social media. It’s become a full-time job to make sure we
respond to as many comments and messages as we can! If you already follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll know that we’re doing our best to bring you the light side of the news! To veer away from the facts and figures because we know how important it is to turn off sometimes and see that there are people who care and there’s always a reason to smile.
From the beautiful messages we’ve had, explaining how some of you are
giving away your puzzles to those who need them more; to the continued
excitement as you show each other your latest puzzling conquest in the
comments. We know this shared joy is important.
If you don’t already follow us on social media, there’s no time like the
present! You can join in as much or as little as you want, or even join our
Very Important Puzzlers private Facebook group with our most avid
puzzlers!
Jigsaw Puzzling - A Great Way to Occupy Your Mind
We are in very worrying times. It’s a challenge for us all to keep up with all the
important information that we need to know, without it becoming overwhelming,
leading to stress and depression.
It has been long recognised that doing tasks that focus our minds help us to clear out thoughts and destress. These tasks can be anything from drawing a picture to building a bird house, but one such task that it well known being helpful is completing a Jigsaw puzzle.
Sorting the pieces, finding them and putting them together are all reasons why jigsaw puzzles are a very beneficial cognitive activity. The more puzzles you do, the more your brain will be able to tackle the challenge and it can help with other challenges in life.
It's really important to take some time for yourself and focus your mind away
from worries and anxious feelings. The concentration that goes into focusing on a
jigsaw is kin to meditation, being in the moment, only concerned with the task at
hand. Hopefully you have many puzzles to help you through this troubling time and can focus on something more enjoyable to while away the time. If you have more puzzles than you need maybe consider sharing with neighbours if it safe to so, so they too can relax their thoughts.
We hope you are all keeping safe and well. If you're working your way through your puzzle collection, we would love to see how you're getting on! Why not post a picture on our Facebook page? Pop along to our social media for a chat and to see what fellow puzzlers are up too!
Keep smiling, stay positive, and remember, we're all in this together.