Mind exercises to try while taking a break

 How do you take a break?  

People have different ways of taking a break in between work. Foodies take a break by eating their favorite pizza, pasta or burger matched with their favorite shakes or cold drinks. Coffee lovers go to their favorite café for some caffeine kicks. Others do it by exercising or meditating, while some are just happy to be alone during break time. Taking a short break from work is a must to increase productivity – whether you are working from home or in an office. This will also help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and will enable you to recharge your body and mind.

 

But did you know that one of the best ways to take a break is by playing online video games that are simple and quick to play? There are a lot of online video games nowadays that are a good stress- reliever, can provide a quick escape and can simply take your body and mind off from anything that is making you busy. 

Here are some of my recommendations for classic online games that are accessible via the browser. These games are absolutely free to play and one of my most preferred games to play are the logic puzzle games category because it’s a good source of entertainment. While playing and leisurely taking a break, you are also exercising the brain which makes it a very good idea during break periods.

Classic Minesweeper  

Millennial players will feel nostalgia while playing this game. Minesweeper, released in 1989 is a very classic game generally played on personal computers. In this game which you can easily access from a browser, you can choose from three levels of difficulty – easy, medium, and difficult. It would take a lot of guessing, logic and problem solving so you would not click the square with a bomb. 

Battleships Armada 

This game looks simple but the player needs a lot of strategizing to be able to win. The objective of this logic puzzle is to put the battleships in vertical or horizontal position in areas that the player thinks would be safe from the attacker’s missiles. Each player can attack using 3 missiles per turn. The player will not see where the enemy’s ships are placed and that makes the game exciting. The first player to destroy all the ships of the opponent wins. 

Daily Sokoban 

Sokoban requires focus and patience. It might get you hooked for hours because this is no easy game. The objective is simple: place all the boxes on the spot with an X-mark only by pushing a box in one direction - no option to pull the boxes. Having a rich imagination while playing the game is an advantage. One wrong move cannot be undone, so make sure to figure out the right direction before moving.  It’s quite addicting for people who love games of logic and who don't easily give up on something.

Logic puzzle games are good exercise for the mind. They boost brain activity, improve critical thinking and concentration, enhance memory, and of course reduce boredom. Studies also show that challenging the mind by playing online video games keeps the brain stimulated and that helps reduce the risk of dementia. Regular brain exercises can also prevent or slow down the onset of cognitive decline that can lead to Alzheimer's.