As a high school student, days can often be made up of long hours and dull homework assignments. Between all of these activities, there is a small amount of time for rest and relaxation during my day. Fortunately, my friends and I have found a word game created by The New York Times that never fails to brighten our day, Wordle.

The objective of Wordle is to guess the five-letter word The New York Times picked for the day. You get six attempts to guess the word, and each attempt leaves a clue as to which letters are in the word and which are not. Each letter in your guess is in a tile, and the color of the tiles changes to show if the letter is in the word. If the tile turns green, the letter is in the word and is in the correct position. If the tile turns yellow, the letter is in the word but is in the wrong spot. If the tile does not change, the letter is not in the word. 

Although the game itself is simple, it fosters connections between friends and family. At lunch at school, my friends ask me if I’ve done the Wordle and how many attempts it took me to guess the word. The game becomes a light competition, and whoever has the least amount of guesses wins that day. Usually, my friends and I talk about how we feel about the word chosen by the publication. Sometimes the word is particularly difficult to guess, and we are able to complain about it together which opens up the opportunity for great conversations.

Not only does it foster connection between loved ones, but it provides a shift in focus. I find myself forgetting about everything stressing me out when I do the daily Wordle, and I feel better afterward.

This popular game can be a great addition to your daily routine. Whether you do the Wordle while eating lunch, after waking up, or simply before you go to bed, it can brighten your day. While Wordle has helped me, maybe you already have something that you do that already improves your mood. Regardless of what it is, it is important to have something that makes every day a little bit better.