Can Puzzles and Games Heal?

It is so wonderful to see my 2 passions meet -- games and natural healing. I maintain a blog on kids non-violent computer games and have loved games since I can remember. To find Gil Galante who is an expert on games and puzzles (as his site ConceptisPuzzles clearly shows) was SUCH a blessing. In September Gil posted an article on his blog (Individual At Home) titled, "Puzzles as Pain Relievers" which says it all.

Last week when I talked about ways to stay sharp mentally I mentioned games like Sudoku, Chess, etc. It didn't even dawn on me to talk about the ways that games can actually distract you, entertain you, relieve stress and actually act as a painkiller as Gil points out.

We play a LOT of games in our house. From board games, logic games, puzzles, adventure games to games on the Wii where the 4 of us are up jumping around the living room. Playing games puts the whole family in a GREAT mood (Ok -- maybe not all the time as my 8 and 4 year old are still learning how not to win gracefully). I encourage games and puzzles that work the brain for my kids. I will let them play something mindless occasionally but only if they've recently played other educational games.

The Law of Attraction states how what you concentrate on expands. When I was ill I was very aware of my chronic pain and spent a lot of time lying or sitting down. Doing Sudoku was one of the things that did help. When I was playing I had to concentrate in order to solve the puzzle and while I might have been aware I wasn't feeling GREAT-- by focusing on something else my pain went to the back of my mind. I highly recommend reading Gil's article... "Puzzles as Pain Relievers". Funnily enough I never thought of them as such but looking back they sure helped me get through some rough days!

There are tons of different puzzles you can find online for free. Some take only a few seconds and some can take hours. I'd recommend finding a site you like -- like ConceptisPuzzles, Shockwave, or the many others available and playing a little while. A few minutes will give you the distraction you need, relax you, get your brain going and entertain you at the very least. I always leave a puzzle game feeling a little more awake, relaxed and focused and ready to get back to work! ; )