It’s very easy to get overwhelmed in December. Final exams and final papers are looming. It can become a lot, quickly on top of daily homework, extracurriculars, friends, and work. Sometimes its important to take a break from it all. When I’ve run out of podcasts (see previous blog post) I need something else to help me relax. Yeah TV is great, I’m a TV major for Pete’s sake! But sometimes you need to just curl up with a good crossword puzzle and relax.
Crossword puzzles are great because you still get to exercise your brain, but something about filling in boxes is very calming. Its also a fun way to learn new facts (which helps me with Jeopardy!). Another fun part of crosswords is doing them with friends. It always helps to have a sounding board for those trickier clues. When I was home over Thanksgiving break my local newspaper has a massive crossword puzzle that I brought back to school for all of my friends to complete. It took more than 24 hours total and eight different people, but we finished the 3,000+ word puzzle! Check it out below! It was a great bonding experience and a real emotional rollercoaster. Who knew a crossword puzzle would be so exciting?
My favorite part about crosswords is making connections and learning something new. I have two crossword books, edited by NYTimes Crossword editor Will Shortz, that I take with me when I travel and keep next to my favorite spot in the living room. Instead of scrolling through Twitter or channel surfing, I’ll pick up a book and pen and start a new puzzle. Its quiet therapeutic because even though you’re not doing anything important, you still feel like you’re accomplishing something.
So, if you’re feeling a bit stressed, take a few minutes and fill out this COM Crossword puzzle I created!
