Things I Love #1: Sudoku

This is the first in a series of post I am going to do about things I love.  These are things that lift my spirits and help get me through my good and bad days.  They are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER, so the fact that post #1 is not about my husband does not make me the worst wife on the planet!

How I battle Fibrofog.  Sudoku!

For those of you unfamiliar with Sudoku, the object is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each. Digits cannot repeat in box, row or column.

It is a simple concept but it can be challenging and that is why I love it.  When my brain is thick and stagnant, which happens often because of my Fibromyalgia, working on a Sudoku puzzle is a good way to try to focus and concentrate and clear my head out a little.  And if I look down and realize that while my brain was thinking “9” by hand went rogue and wrote “6” – well who cares!  Erase it.  I can mess my Sudoku up over and over and it doesn’t affect anything (except maybe my blood pressure).

Sudoku is fun and stimulating.  And it actually has a calming effect on me because I am so concentrated on the puzzle I am not obsessing over anything else.  On bad days I chose an easy puzzle just to try to stimulate my brain.  On good days I try a hard or “diabolical” one to remind me that my brain is still there and thriving, even if it gets lost in the fog occasionally.  And Sudoku is versatile.  You can take your puzzles with you most anywhere!

Brave that she is working in pen, don’t you think!

Anyways, I am a Sudoku advocate.  If you haven’t tried it go ahead and click on this link and you can try it online.  My preference is the old pencil-to-paper puzzle and Sudoku is easy to find in bookstores, drug stores and grocery stores.  Give it a try. Your brain may thank you.