Over the past few weeks, I have found myself in the Emergency Room and at multiple doctor’s appointments due to our son playing football this year. Two weeks ago, I shared that he had injured his foot and was on crutches.
In a later post, I shared that he had gone from the crutches to a boot. And, well, last night, he added a fractured, slightly broken wrist/arm to the menu of injuries.
With that said, I have had to occupy my mind and time during these long-hour waits. My waiting room companions have been a book called The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science by Thomas Troward, a magazine called A Complete Guide to Getting Rich, my gratitude journal, and a few of my favorite online games from https://www.solitaire.org/.
After a bit of reading, I write a few sentences in my gratitude journal to acknowledge that there is still so much to be grateful for regardless of the situation at hand.
And, once I’m done with that, I relax my mind a bit and play a few of the free games that I enjoy on my phone such as classic Solitaire and The Palace Hotel. While there are other games on there, I only play these two.
Classic Solitaire
Classic Solitaire is relaxing for me and always has been. When I was a little girl growing up into my teen years, my great-great-aunt would sit in her small modular style home with her dog and a Coca-Cola and play Solitaire.
As a little girl, I didn’t know how to play and I never asked. I just watched her. My aunt would be in her own little world, relaxing, and playing Solitaire. She was at peace while playing.
From that childhood experience, I learned how to play Solitaire as a way of peace and relaxation. With us being in the Emergency Room and various doctor’s offices, I can’t just lay out a deck of cards to play. So, instead, I opt for playing it on my phone for free and without an app.
I appreciate that because I get very annoyed when I thoroughly enjoy something, but you have to download an app to use it. I don’t have that frustration with this site, plus it’s ad-free.
I also appreciate that there are easy instructions on how to play if you have never played before and are interested.
The Palace Hotel
The other game that I have been playing is a hidden objects game called The Palace Hotel. It’s like a mystery game with the sound to match. I play this game because I have to be quick on my feet to find the objects before my time runs up – in order to move on to the next level.
And, although the object could be right there in your face, you may not see it because there are so many other objects in the space.
While these are two of my personal favorites, there are many more to choose from depending on your preference.
Final Thoughts
What I’m grateful for most about these games is that they are a great way to improve mental functioning and prevent brain aging. Not only that, but my time spent keeping my mind sharp playing these mind games, reading, and gratitude journals are all ways to practice self-care and self-improvement.
In fact, September is National Self-Improvement Month. National Self-Improvement Month reminds us that we all can stand to improve ourselves and care for ourselves in some way, whether it’s reading a book or playing a game to keep our minds sharp.
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