The mental work that has helped me to health consists partly of my daily crossword puzzles. I have stayed away from the hospital since 1996 but I started solving puzzles on a daily basis only in 2004 before Emil and I went to Sydney for the first time. My puzzles have moved me out of numerous obsessive – compulsive situations. Some compulsions lasted for months then tapered to weeks and then to days. Very often now I can snap out of compulsive attacks after rounds of mental exercises which gently coax me into mindfulness.

The crossword puzzles have also taught me an important lesson: to consider other points of view even when I was almost sure of my opinion. The clues to the answers very often can be interpreted in more ways than one. For example what I have in mind may be an answer under the category of music but the correct answer may be from an entirely different  classification. I was dismayed when the clue was “newsworthy exile of 1986” and  the answer was  “Marcos”.  I didn’t expect the Philippines would be featured in the Los Angeles Times puzzle. Eventually Lea Salonga was also featured. The answers are always final; I can only accept the answers. Continue reading →