Yesterday, I wrote about doing puzzles as part of a morning routine. I never thought of using my brain so early in the morning. I usually drink water, journal, then make my tea afterwards. Every writer has their own routine. Hemmingway said,
I write every morning as soon after first light as possible.
https://prowritingaid.com/writing-routines-famous-authors
I have journaled right when I woke up but I don’t work on my stories right when I wake up because unconsciously and now consciously I know that that writing is eerily close to puzzles and the thought of doing any kind of puzzle upon waking sounds like a bad time to me.
But after reading through a bunch of morning routine lists and finding that many of them spoke of doing a puzzle to wake your brain up, I decided to give it try. I challenged myself to do a puzzle before I even got out of bed. And hey, it could be playful.
On that note, have you ever realized how important game play is for us adult human beings? According to NBC News, “The most obvious benefit comes from play that involves physical activity. When done frequently, it strengthens your heart, boosts your lung function and lowers your risk of developing coronary heart disease. Not only that, physical play like sports and exercise, also reduce your stress hormones (e.g cortisol and adrenaline) and trigger the release of endorphins — your feel-good hormones — which elevates your mood and helps you relax after a stressful day.
Laughter, which is present in many kinds of playful activities, releases those same feel-good hormones. The act of simply laughing with others will also foster a sense of camaraderie and strengthen your relationships, too.
At work, play increases your productivity levels and makes you more creative.”
So when I tried out the puzzle. I was laying around for a bit moaning and groaning about the terrible sleep I had. (I had the strangest nightmares) I leaned over and grabbed my phone to play a game. Of course I got distracted by all my notifications (which I feel defeats the whole purpose but I kept going anyways). I eventually made it to the games folder and decided to play a Zen matching game. It was actually really nice. I think I’ll try it again tomorrow and try my best to focus at the task at hand.
So I’d say, you should give it a shot if you haven’t tried a puzzle right when you wake up yet.
Jayne.press 