Reading is one of those activities that comes with many benefits, including a range of mental health benefits. There’s nothing quite like sitting back on your bed, on the sofa, in a coffee shop – or wherever you are – with a book in your hand and your favourite drink. It’s so tranquil spending time relaxing with a good book, there is quite literally nothing like it.
There’s no doubt about it, reading is a great escape from stress and worry, but what it is that makes reading such a fantastic way to escape your problems, and what other benefits does this hobby come with? For everything that you should know, read on.
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Keeps your mind active
Research has shown that people who read tend to have more active minds than people that don’t read, and people who have these brains are more than two times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease in later life or struggle with mental health problems. Studies have shown that by staying mentally alert, you can significantly improve your mental health and wellness in both the long and short-term.
Transports you away from stress
Studies have shown that snuggling up with a good book can transport you away from your worries and concerns, helping to relax your mind and relieve feelings of stress. A study undertaken by the University of Sussex found that reading for just six minutes can reduce your feelings of stress by up to 68%. Of course, a substantial article, such as the one by Daniel Handler, for instance, can also have the same effect.
You become more empathetic
By spending time reading about a large number of different people from various walks of life and circumstances than you can help you to better understand that everyone is different and realize that you are able to relate to different people in different situations to your own. By reading your mental state changes and you naturally become more empathetic, able to show more empathy to people in different situations to your own.
Strengthens your focus
Did you know that reading encourages your mind to train itself to focus better? This is because when you read, you have to retain the information that you have read, in order to continue the rest of the book. Reading requires your full focus – something that is lacking in today’s society with many people constantly multi-tasking. Simply by reading for 15 minutes per day, you can significantly improve your mental focus and ability to concentrate.
Reading helps you sleep
Then there’s the fact that reading helps you to sleep. Studies have shown that people who read regularly tend to be far better sleepers than people who don’t read. Stress can often make it difficult to fall asleep, which could indicate why reading can help to boost sleep levels as it can reduce stress levels significantly in a fairly short space of time.
Reading is an amazing hobby to have, it offers you an incredible escape from your day to day life, allowing you to reduce your feelings of stress and worry and escape into another world.
I love reading! I wish I had more time to spend with books. In this season, I mainly have time to listen to audiobooks, but I probably should try to spend at least fifteen minutes diving into a book before bedtime. Thank you for the reminder!
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Elihu, my first best place in the world is a bookstore/library. I always wish I could just stay in there endlessly and soak it all in. There’s just never enough time these days. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
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Absolutely!
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I love to read non-fiction and I get great pleasure from reading the blog posts. Stepping into other people’s world is interesting and inspiring.
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Totally absorbing. I love reading non-fiction as well. It’s amazing how much we learn reading about others.
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I enjoy reading non-fiction books primarily to learn, grow, and feed my curiosities.
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Me too. It’s amazing how much we can learn reading about others.
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Why do we have to look for an escape in reading?
Reading should be a pleasure by itself, not an escape to fantasy land from our daily life.
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It is divine pleasure and yes you are right.
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Thank you.
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I Love getting lost in a book 😊😊😊
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It’s just divine 🙂
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Reblogged this on msleighm.
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Reading is amazing and I am so glad I passed on down the love of it to my children! Seeing them in their bed or curled up on a chair with a book is just so satisfying! Especially in this electronic age!
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I am forever thankful to my parents who passed on the joy of reading to me. Thankfully, two of my children love reading and the third one always needs prodding and cajoling 🙂
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A treasured gift indeed! You never know your one child may develop a love for it one day.
A dear friend of mine never liked to read until about 7 years ago. Now she is like me, always has a book that she’s reading! It just took finding the right book.
It was like that for my youngest too. At first they hated reading until a wonderful teacher gave them a book that they fell in love wth. 🙂
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I love reading, and I exchange books with my friends.
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