Good Grief!

As puzzle fans, we all know the benefits of jigsaw puzzles. Puzzling improves our focus, concentration, and attention to detail. But in my opinion, the greatest benefit is the incredible magic that puzzles work in our brains.

Keep Calm Puzzle On  |  Hart Puzzles  |  1000 pieces 

I’m talking about serious magic like helping reset our nervous system, dissolving away stress, and helping us process loss.

Loss is not a zippy topic, but, alas, loss is something that we all experience more than we’d like. Whenever we make a decision, we are saying “yes” to what we have decided, but we are also saying “no” to what we haven’t chosen. Loss is everywhere because loss is intertwined with change. Even small things, like the seasons changing, has us welcoming the new season while quietly saying goodbye to the things we loved about the season that is ending.

Dog Park in Four Seasons  |   Galison  |  250 pieces

We may experience a loss of health due to an injury or a long term illness. Unexpected financial losses can pop up out of nowhere. But perhaps the biggest loss of all is the loss of someone we love.  My younger sister died at the beginning of the year. There’s nothing like grief to knock the wind out of your soul. I think we all struggle with knowing how to help ourselves and others when grief pays a visit.

We know there is nothing we can do or say to take away the painful feelings and there is nothing we can do to unwind the hands of time. But what does help is having people and comforting things by our side as we struggle to limp through each day.

Flowers and Friends  |  Ravensburger  |  200 XXL pieces

And this is where puzzles and the puzzle community reveal their shining magic. The simple act of sitting down and working on a puzzle provides a sense of normalcy in our lives when we find that our usual reality lies in pieces around us. 

The magic begins as we take a jumbled mess of pieces and embark on bringing order to the unsettling mound before us. We flip over the pieces and already the mess is just a bit better. Then we start with something … anything. A few striped pieces or all the yellow pieces or just the bits with flowers on them. As we sit and find connections, our minds are free to roam. We listen to music, watch a show, or sit in a calm silence. During these moments, our brains are taking a break and healing itself.

Eventually, we find ourselves placing the last pieces and the unspoken message is “I am capable. I can solve hard problems. I can manage chaotic situations.”

Experiencing a loss is distressing because it puts us in a liminal space between the past and the future. We are neither here nor there. This feels deeply uncomfortable and lonely. We feel adrift and long for “something”, but don’t know what it might be because it lies in the future. 

Lone Canoe  |  Indigenous Collection  |  1000 pieces

While we are adrift in this liminal space, every puzzle piece we connect helps us to move forward. With every small pattern we assemble, the losses in our lives do not feel as sharp. The sections we complete create a small bit of momentum and we have hope that we will reach the other side of whatever our new reality will be. 

When we finish our puzzle, we smooth our hands across the completed image and share it with others. Our work is admired and we are reminded of the many times we thought we were not making progress, and yet here we are with a beautiful, completed image. Our online puzzle community sends us likes and hearts and they comment about their experiences with similar puzzles and similar losses.

We are reminded that we are never alone, no matter how bereft we are feeling. When our worlds fall apart, puzzles and our puzzle community remind us that we are loved and supported. 

Tracy @16feet