Reading for Pleasure
As students, we have quite a bit of required reading in our daily lives. We have schoolwork, assigned reading, homework, emails, news, and social media to keep up with. Although it seems like it could be hard to add it in, reading for pleasure has been shown to reduce stress, help us acquire coping skills, benefit our mental health, and even take us on a mini vacation. Reading a physical book, or listening to an audio version, can both be a healthy break from the stress of college life. It relaxes our muscles, lowers our heart rate, and distracts us from our regular stressors. The book you choose doesn't have to be one about stress or mental health to ease stress. The important thing is that it captures your attention and provides you a way to focus and relax. When your brain is engaged in a story you enjoy, it can act as a distraction from stressful thoughts and is a safe way to "turn off your brain."
How does reading benefit us?
While reading on a phone or tablet is less effective, the meditative qualities of reading or listening to a book help our brain stop trying to multitask. This puts us in a state of mindfulness and enhances concentration, both of which reduce stress.
College life and adulthood is a world of constant distraction, and it can be hard to cope with this. Research has shown reading can be more effective at reducing stress than listening to music or taking a bath or walk. Double up and read while taking a bath!
Tips for getting your read on:
Think about some genres that you love and additionally consider some genres you’ve never tried. Sci-fi can be intriguing, historical fiction can be fascinating, and a comedic novel can change our mindset and make us LOL in a way that typing “LOL” on an Instagram meme can’t. An audio book, a fashion magazine, or a romantic paperback can take us to a different world, and can put us in someone else’s shoes, increasing our empathy and opening our minds. Getting inside the minds and lives of the characters can help us grow our own perspective.
Find a book that piques your interest and set aside 30 minutes to read every day in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Turn off any music, the TV, and put your phone out of reach to make this the only thing you’re doing. Choose a book that makes you feel happy and calm.
Post read self check-in:
How do you feel after your reading break? Have you been able to set aside some of your stress? What did you think of the plot? The ending? Did you find something in common with any of the characters? What part of the story did you enjoy the most?
Allow your mind to take this breather. Give it a try and if you’re less stressed afterwards, then make more time to read! In reading, we get the opportunity to escape into our imagination, which can be one of the best exercises for the human mind.
Comments
Post a Comment