How Reading Books Help to Reduce Stress?

Hello my dear friends, I hope you are all doing good today. In this post, I will be discussing about a great and interesting way to reduce stress quickly- reading books. Before beginning, I've few questions for you- Do you love books? Do you like to read? If the answer is yes then this post is meant for you. 

Few months ago, I was stressed out with my academics and personal life. But then one day, a reading group of which I am a member of started with the reading books activity. During that session one of the members read her favorite book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. And believe me, I enjoyed the reading session. After this session, I was longing to know what happened next in the story of this book. My mind got cleared of all the things that were stressing me out before this reading session. It was then that I realized how reading helps to reduce the stress levels. In fact, I now pledged to incorporate reading books in my daily routine, so that my mind can break off from its routine worries and wander in the wonderful world of books. So, reading books help me live through my life when its psychologically hard and stressful. 

How Reading Books Reduces Stress?

  

We all know that reading is good for the brain. But does it help with relieving stress? Do you remember the study done by neuropsychologist David Lewis that I had mentioned in my previous post, wherein reading was found to be a powerful tool for stress relief in comparison to listening to music, taking a walk to relax or drinking tea? If not, let me remind you, it only takes six minutes of reading to reduce your stress levels by 68 percent. And I can’t agree more with the study done by Dr. David Lewis. Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation method, because reading can distract us from our everyday worries and anxiety and make us feel more relaxed. 

How Do I Read Books to Truly Achieve Stress Relief?  

Merely reading books, scanning through the pages won’t help to reduce stress level. This is why, I always find a quiet place to read books, because it is more enjoyable as well as relaxing. However, this is not always possible as in case of commuting when the bus is full of chatter and loud music. 

Reading is an activity that recharges your mind and body. It helps us explore new imaginary world that are quite different from our ordinary life. Reading also helps us become more creative and energetic. Basically, it helps us to find new ways to enjoy our life. You can dream while reading books, you can laugh and this results in reducing our stressors. This is why reading I enjoy a lot while reading books and I am no more anxious or stressed while doing so. 

For me, reading is dreaming and traveling to new realities, to live someone else’s life- the characters in the book. It helps me forget everything which is stressing me out and I can just live my life with new perspective. In some strange way, reading books is like a meditation to me. Because, while reading books, you usually only think and be in the reality that the book brings you to. Reading is a journey, a fun activity that I enjoy because it helps to release the stress even if it’s for a little while.  

The best part about reading is that it increases our empathy so that we can understand others better. This can make our life easier because we are here for each other to build this world together. We can truly connect with each other and then there can’t be stress.  

Can Reading Books Relieve Stress for Everyone? 

Though reading books reduces stress, but it won’t work for everyone. This is because if you don’t like reading and you don’t enjoy this activity, then reading books won’t work for you to relieve your stress. So, if you are forced to read a book and you take it as a chore then you can’t enjoy it and believe me it will make you more stressed. 

What Kind of Books You Should Read for Stress Relief?  

This is a good question, but the answer is simple- it simply depends on you. You are free to choose what kind of books you enjoy reading- a novel of any genre that lets you laugh and forget about all your anxiety, worries and stress. Some people enjoy horror novels because it helps them relieve stress by engaging them in a different world with different rule which let them go off their tension. 

For me, it is detective fiction novels, love stories and any books that could capture my imagination and interest in knowing what happens next in the book, that helps me forget about my stress and worries. It helps me escape my reality for a while and makes me feel relaxed. I’ll post about My Favorite Fantasy Novels and Books for Stress Relief in my future posts.   

Outline 

Now that you understand that reading is an important factor for our physical as well as mental well-being. I hope you will incorporate this habit in your daily life so that you can get rid of all your stress and worries.  

Let me know about what book you are going to read next. And don’t forget to share this new information with your friends and family.  

Until next time, this is Nyasa signing off.