Since Jigsaw puzzles graced the stage in 2020, their health benefits have hit the headlines too. From memory retention, to delaying alzheimer's, to helping sharpen your focus… puzzles seem to be the gift that keeps on giving. For Ponder Designs Co, the reason we started creating and designing jigsaw puzzles is because they help us slow down and reach an almost meditative state as you put the pieces together. They are a tonic to our always-on lifestyles.
It’s true that life has never moved with such pace. The advent of the internet and the digitisation of everything, means that tasks that used to take a couple of hours now take a mere few seconds. Sounds good, but when you think about the repercussions of this, we realise that we find ourselves jumping from task to task and addicted to getting things done and now we no longer know how to truly switch off.
Enter puzzles.
Undivided Attention
Jigsaw puzzles are great for adults and children alike in that they almost force us to give our undivided attention to matching the unique and different jigsaw pieces to the pictures on the box. Scrolling instagram whilst puzzling while ambitious, is likely to be fairly tricky!
Alongside undivided attention, puzzles also give us a comforting illusion of control (something we so desperately crave in a world that feels very much out of control). Doing a jigsaw puzzle is entirely within your control, provided you actually focus and commit especially to those harder puzzle designs. Also, you can step away from a puzzle and come back to it whenever you want. With enough time, effort and commitment, you’ll get the puzzle done and that can be incredibly satisfying.
Personally, puzzles are the perfect distraction from things like jet lag, because they don’t require too much thought, but just enough to keep you focused and awake.
A Task With A Satisfying End Goal
But jigsaw puzzles are unambiguous, the end goal is to get it done. Simple as that. Patrick K. Porter, creator or BrainTap technologies suggests that some people can’t stop working on puzzles until they’re completed because a finished puzzle is extremely satisfying and even more so when life has been thrown out of whack. He says “Jigsaw puzzles provide a challenge that gives this goal-seeking behavior an outlet. With each puzzle piece found, the puzzler gets a little hit of dopamine, which soothes the brain, and this reward then climaxes with the puzzle’s completion.”
It’s A Meditative Experience
As we’ve mentioned in other posts, puzzles can be deeply meditative. Therapist Elizabeth Hinkle says that “[Puzzles] take a certain level of concentration that creates mindful moments. These moments take us outside of ourselves and our worries.” . When you’re doing a jigsaw puzzle, it’s almost like all your worries melt away.
Ponder Designs puzzles take jigsaw puzzles to the next level, by aligning them to different topics to help you day-dream (or ponder) while you puzzle. We’re injecting even more purpose into puzzles with unique designs that get you thinking as you piece the pieces together. What’s more, they are designed to flaunt on your coffee table just like a coffee table book.
Happy pondering.
Love,
Ponder Designs Co.