Puzzles: An Anxiety Busting Activity by Julie Cohen/Marriage and Family Therapist: at DailyStrength Doctors and Experts

Julie Cohen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist MFT and a Child Mental Health Specialist with a private practice in Los Angeles Her areas of focus include depression anxiety panic post-traumatic stress bipolar…

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Puzzles: An Anxiety Busting Activity

Posted in Anxiety by Julie Cohen on Nov 18, 2008

As I prepare for the onslaught of relatives that will be arriving next week for Thanksgiving, one of my main priorities is to find things for everyone to do while the Turkey cooks.

This year the focus is on jigsaw puzzles. I have to admit it's been many years since I sat down with a puzzle. But, I do have found memories as a child watching and helping my dad build puzzles. There was something soothing about spending time with him and the puzzle and focusing all my attention on getting those little pieces to fit together. So, I thought I would bring the tradition back into the family and hope that my nieces and nephews find the same joy that I did.

Many of my blogs have focused on the idea of "multi-tasking" when it comes to treating anxiety. Along with therapy and/or medication, I am a big believer in adding several other tasks to diminish symptoms such as exercise, meditation, yoga, knitting, gardening, chewing gum and cooking. Basically, anything that is enjoyable, manageable and acts to diffuse anxiety. So as I was shopping today for my Thanksgiving puzzle, I wondered if I could add puzzles to my list of anxiety busting tools.

Puzzles have several positive qualities when it comes to reducing anxiety such as its tactile. Which basically means it will keep your hands busy. It also keeps your mind focused on fitting pieces and away from all the issues that you worry about. However, on the negative side, I had to watch my frustration level as I became impatient trying to get the pieces to fit. Overall though, I think I am going to add puzzles to my list of anxiety busting activities. And the next time I do a puzzle, I won't start with the sky!

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CATEGORIES: News

CONDITIONS AND COMMUNITIES: Anxiety • Anxiety Disorders in Children • Bipolar Disorder • Bipolar Disorder - Teen • Depression • Depression - Teen • Panic Attacks

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Displaying comments 19-1 of 19

Since the financial crisis came out, all of us were became pre occupied in finding the appropriate solutions on how to fight against this global recession. But I think we should not stick that alone, a thing that has something to do with our safety or being prepared to fortuitous event such as earthquake should also take into consideration. Government should also allocate contingency fund for a disaster such as an earthquake .An earthquake, like activity from a volcano, can be nothing more than an annoying rumbling to epic tragedy. The 1960 Chilean earthquake was among the most powerful on record, wrecking the Chilean coast and causing tsunamis that devastated Japan. A 6.3 earthquake struck L'Aquila, Italy recently, and the damage is far more than any online cash advance can help with. The death toll is expected to climb over 100 and up to 50,000 are left homeless. Italy is no stranger to nature's fury, as Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Vesuvius and Mount Strabo have all wreaked havoc since ancient times. Let us count ourselves fortunate if all we have to worry about is an online cash advance instead of an title="Earthquake in Italy, other disasters, recession– keep
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By SamuelX Apr 13, 2009

An earthquake is one of the most feared natural disasters. An

earthquake, like activity from a volcano, can be nothing more

than an annoying rumbling to epic tragedy. The 1960 Chilean

earthquake was among the most powerful on record, wrecking

the Chilean coast and causing tsunamis that devastated Japan.

A 6.3 earthquake struck L'Aquila, Italy recently, and the

damage is far more than any online cash advance can help with.

The death toll is expected to climb over 100 and up to 50,000

are left homeless. Italy is no stranger to nature's fury, as

Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Vesuvius and Mount Strabo

have all wreaked havoc since ancient times. Let us count

ourselves fortunate if all we have to worry about is an online

cash advance instead of an
title="Earthquake in Italy, other disasters, recession– keep

hanging on"

href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/04/06/e

arthquake-italy-disasters-recession-hanging/">earthquake

.

By SamuelX Apr 13, 2009

I thought I was the only one that had fond childhood memories of putting together puzzles especially in the winter, my grandpa would pop a huge bowl of popcorn and my aunt and uncle would come over and we would all work on puzzles. Over the summer my grandma would shop garage sales to find just the right ones. I passed the love of puzzles on to my children :) I hope your tradition revives and that you had a great Thanksgiving. I am glad you brought out the point about it being a stress buster :)

Blessings,
Misty

By lilwolfmisty Nov 29, 2008

It is interesting to read your article about puzzles today. I recently lost my husband after a 4 year battle with cancer, had a tornado to hit my garage behind the house, was burglarized and I have just closed on a new (smaller) home. In between all of this I help my son with his two daughters, age 5 and 9 years old. With all the added stress of trying to get ready to move after the holidays and preparing for the holidays I find myself with very little time to myself. Did I mention I also work a full time job? The anxiety of losing my husband and everything else is almost more than I can deal with. This is the first Christmas without him. He died June 2008, so the grieving period is far from being over with me. Anyway, to get to my point, I ran in the drug store on Friday for just a second and in that quick moment I saw this 1000 piece suzzle. I thought, man that will be great for the girls to spend time with. This past weekend I could barely bring myself to leave the table where we have the puzzle started. We only have the outline of it completed. We had the best time working on this puzzle and I found myself to be so relaxed during that time. Thank you for sharing your article with me. Faye Anderson

By gfander Nov 24, 2008

It's puzzling to me how some find comfort in any puzzles when feeling the grip of anxiety. I missed a group meeting one day last month because I could not fill out the form I was to return that day.
Normally, I enjoyed jigsaws, crosswords, jumbles and many more.
I do, however, feel empowered each time I add a "before this illness" activity back to my life. So, you have inspired me to get a puzzle. I believe I shall start with a children's jigsaw..perhaps only 100 pieces, or 50.After all, I just need "good enough"not "perfect".
Thank you!! Mary, A Re-Puzzler

By marymargaret Nov 22, 2008

Chewing gum has worked for me too!

Jigsaw puzzles, cooking and gardening, no.

The jigsaw which is people on the other hand I find very interesting.

Starting with ground and looking to the sky.

By Anna000 Nov 22, 2008

i like to design my own lifesize ethical puzzles and games. it's for the kids!

By Jigsaw Nov 21, 2008

I absolutely love Jigsaw puzzles and continue to complete many online puzzles, too. I also spent hours as a child, usually at our beach cabin with no phone or television for diversion. We would take a walk on the beach, come back to the cabin and make hot cocoa and work on the puzzle. The puzzles made now are so much nicer than the ones we had. The Thomas Kincaid puzzles are always great around holidays, depicting old stone English cottages with ivy-draped walls and snow-covered roofs. It reminds me of the classic Christmas song, "O'er the river and through the Woods".

By Cybercatxq Nov 21, 2008

I love to do puzzles. I find it very relaxing to do them. I have four kids that keep me very busy during the day. At night I find a puzzle can relax me and I sleep wonderful if I work on one before I go to bed.

By Cindytps Nov 21, 2008

Puzzles are my saving grace. Besides helping me get through my childhood, they help me keep calm and also help with my memory since going into menopause. I love ANY kind of puzzle - numbers, words, jigsaw, logic, or hand held puzzles you figure out by moving pieces around like the rubik's cube.

Given my ability to do puzzles, it was the one thing that told me I wasn't stupid when everyone around me as a child told me I was. I didn't know about dyslexia growing up and so I was slower to learn if it involved reading but I figured out ways to deal with it and in my free time, I did puzzles. I still get the Variety Puzzles magazine and work a puzzle before going to sleep. It is just so relaxing for me.

As far as getting frustrated with the puzzle, I guess I have the right temperament for them. I know that if I don't get it now, I will get it later. Often, I will start a puzzle and do what I know. I will come back to the puzzle and somehow, other parts will make sense to me and I'll do those parts. I just repeat this process until the puzzle is complete. There are no rules that you have to finish a puzzle the day you start it. Somedays, my mind prefers number puzzles, other days it wants to work on words and other days, I need the tactile or picture puzzles. I just go with the flow knowing that I will be fulfilled in the process.

Thanks for the article. It gave me another sense of belonging.

Carolyn

By crowbarephotography Nov 21, 2008

Hello Julie, I too, am alicensed therapist, Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Addictions Professional...it was nice reading your article..it is so intresting that overall research agrees with all the above in treating anxiety...distraction, tactile stimulation, plain, ordinary fun...nice article....Mary

By dolphingirl Nov 20, 2008

oh my gosh! i love puzzles, but i am just the opposite. i like to start with the hardest part first, then it all comes together really fast! after my head injury puzzles were the first thing i started doing. i just have the eye for finding the right size, heck i am even tempted to do a puzzle upside down, sometimes i do a puzzel and do not even remember what the picture was but i sure do remember how the pieces fit together. i learned alot of patience, hand-eye-cordination, memory....lots of things worked for my recovery. Julie

By juliecrawford Nov 20, 2008

I LOVE WORD GAMES, ESPECIALLY SCRABBLE.

By Mags815 Nov 20, 2008

i dont think so they make me lose patiece and are frustrating

By tickey Nov 20, 2008

Thats a great Idea. I will share it with my therapist.

By Waitingforhim Nov 20, 2008

I have long loved puzzles. Now, I know why!
Lately, I've chosen puzzles with fun images. When complete, I coat with Puzzle Glue and put up in my kids' room or use under hot dishes to protect a wooden table. The kids love it - especially since they helped me complete it.
A money-saving tip for my fellow SSDI paupers - get puzzles for pocket change at Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. Also, there are free digital puzzles online.
Maybe puzzles help anxiety symptoms by engaging the logical mind - blocking the emotional mind from dominating.

By katiescarlett Nov 20, 2008

Keeping my mind occupied on a puzzle has helped me thru many panic attacks...

By deeds1 Nov 19, 2008

I must agree with you on this. I remember doing puzzels as a child and it made me more calm and relaxed, and not to mention the family invlolved in the puzzle would laugh and mesmorize. Just wonderful all around.

By dianaK Nov 19, 2008

I will try it
I will be volunteerint on Thanksgiving
Family does not care about me since parents died
I am happy that is not the case for you

By Kellie58 Nov 18, 2008

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