[2023-06-20] Reading

I recently came across a post by Ruta Stasiunaite called 12 Strategies to Keep Your Mental Health Game in Check. The compilation of techniques for fostering good mental health included many things I would expect to see on such a list (such as repeating affirmations, limiting negativity, expressing gratitude, maintaining boundaries, setting goals) but also a few that felt new to me, most notably one labeled stimulation. Stasiunaite defines this as reading inspiring books and materials to stay motivated.

I was curious about the power of books and other written material to enhance mental health. The Mental Health Benefits of Reading provides compelling support for Stasiunaite's advice and suggests a range of benefits from reading.

Reduces stress
"A study from 2009 found that reading reduced stress in participants by nearly 70 per cent and was more effective than things like having a cup of tea or listening to music. They even found that reading for as little as six minutes can have a huge impact on stress. Another study found that 30 minutes of reading could reduce stress as much as a yoga session of the same duration."

Can help you wind down at bedtime
"Having a bedtime routine that includes reading can help you get some good shut-eye. Putting down that phone and picking up a book can help you wind down and relax before bed."

Builds up your brain
"Reading is really like taking your brain to the gym. It works out all of those important muscles that are needed to help you be at your best mentally. Keeping your mind active with reading makes your brain stronger."

Helps improve your ability to empathize
"[S]tudies have shown that reading can help you better understand other people’s feelings. This is especially true with reading fiction over a longer period of time."

Can help deal with mental illness
"Reading can be used as therapy. This has become so popular they have a term for it—bibliotherapy. There are actually bibliotherapists who can prescribe books to specifically help with things like anxiety, grief or depression."

Reduces symptoms of dementia
"Reading can help with diseases such as Alzheimer’s by keeping the brain active. Inactivity in the brain can increase the chance of getting the disease. A study found that older people who read regularly were 2.5 times less likely to get Alzheimer’s."

I've gotten out of the habit of reading books. Perhaps it's time to jump back in. My upcoming convalescence may be just the opportunity.

I'll leave you with a few quotes on books and reading that I love:

Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know.
~ Alberto Manguel

Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity.
~ Aaron Swartz

Who says paper worlds
Are an escape from what is real?
As though the lives trapped in their binding
Are not ones that make you feel.
For sometimes our greatest lessons
Come from those with ink for skin,
Who reach beyond the page
To take our hand and pull us in.
~ Erin Hanson