- It has brought me closer to family and friends
Since childhood, I’ve loved doing jigsaw puzzles. I have fond memories of huddling over the coffee table, doing them together with my mother, and swatting the occasional mosquito away in our house in Kuala Lumpur. My grandfather would walk by sometimes and contribute a piece or two.
One of the most vivid memories I have is with my friend Sze – both of us doing our Masters at the University of Melbourne at the time – having deep conversations as we completed a 1000pc Gustav Klimt ‘The Kiss’ puzzle together.
My other half John isn’t really into jigsaw puzzles (board games are more his thing) but in the first few months of the pandemic, I bought a stack of New Yorker puzzles with the intention to frame and hang them up. We spent an entire night doing the puzzles together and until now it is one of my fondest memories together. (Puzzle and Chill instead of Netflix and Chill?)
Although I love doing jigsaw puzzles alone, the finest moments have been the bonding sessions I’ve had with those who’ve joined in on the fun.
- Relieves stress
I lived in Shanghai for 6 years where everyone worked hard and partied harder. Yeah sure, drinking and partying is a great escape from a stressful life but it’s not a proper time-out. In fact, heavy nights can tire you out and make you feel worse. Although I don’t deny that I love a fun night out with friends, I now opt for doing a jigsaw puzzle to relieve my stress instead.
A few hours spent on a beautiful puzzle can help me reset my mind and body, in more ways than lying on the couch and bingeing on Netflix.
- Wonderful supportive community
If you’ve gone on Instagram or joined puzzle Facebook groups, you’ll see that puzzle enthusiasts around the world are kind, caring people. The community is really supportive and so far I haven’t (yet) come across big egos or trolls within the community. Thank you, Puzzle Friends
- Opened up a world of shared interests with others
John and I are big fans of trance and electronic music so most of the people we know are from these circles. However, when the pandemic hit, obviously there were no parties. So we would invite one or two friends over to our place for dinner at a time, and we really got to know them beyond the dance floor. We discovered that a lot of friends had a shared interest in board games and jigsaw puzzles. And I was delighted to be able to lend them puzzles from my exploding collection.
- Combines my love for art and design
In school I was a top art student and later graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. Although I now specialise in project management in a digital marketing company, I never lost the love for art and design. Puzzling gives me the opportunity to discover artists and appreciate beautiful art and illustrations.
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