Welcome to my Puzzle Era

I actually entered my puzzle era in winter last year.

It started on long, cold nights when the television no longer felt like rest. Instead of disappearing into a book or retreating to a screen, I found myself drawn to the table, a cup of tea, and the steady rhythm of a difficult jigsaw puzzle. I remember giggling at myself as I realised this was the ultimate confirmation that I was officially in my granny era.

Puzzles were something my nan has always enjoyed. The irony was that the puzzle sitting in front of me was one I had actually purchased for her. After a brief (rather pathetic attempt, GG), she bowed out, declaring it required more effort than she felt like giving, and so it was returned to me. There I was, sleeves rolled up, happily tackling the puzzle my nan had decided was too hard.

What I liked about it was how it sat in the space. A puzzle does not ask you to withdraw. You can sit with a glass of wine or cup of tea in a common area of the house, half absorbed and half available. People can wander past, chat, or join in briefly before moving on again.

I did not set out to make puzzles a wellness habit. It simply felt better than the alternatives. Better than more noise. Better than something that left me feeling overstimulated rather than restored.

After Christmas, I leaned back into puzzles again. Santa gifted me one, which felt both amusing and entirely on brand. In the days before the fires came through and changed the shape of everything, that slower rhythm returned. The heat slowed us down. Being indoors was unavoidable, and puzzles provided somewhere steady for hands and minds to land.

As the heatwaves have continued and I have finally been able to step back from some of the immediate fire relief roles, I have noticed how therapeutic this kind of focus really is. It is not distracting myself with a movie or television series. It is practical, grounding, and absorbing.

There is growing evidence that activities like puzzles, quizzes, and crosswords are good for the brain. They support memory, concentration, and problem solving, and they encourage focus without overstimulation. They are also linked to reduced stress because they draw attention into the present moment.

What I have come to appreciate is that this kind of focus still allows space for processing. My attention is held, yet thoughts can settle and move in the background. Normally, gardening plays that role for me, but in this heat, it is simply too hot to be outside. The puzzle has become the indoor equivalent.

I have been thinking how relevant this is for others during heatwaves. When it is too hot to be outside and movement is limited, people often find themselves stuck indoors for long stretches. Community halls and spaces with air conditioning become places of refuge. These are places where a puzzle on a table can provide gentle distraction, no expectation or need to talk, simply shared focus while the heat passes.

Puzzles allow us to step back from the noise without disengaging from the world, to rest the mind while staying present.

I have fully arrived in my puzzle era, and I am all about it.