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Can reading help ease anxiety and reduce stress?

NoInk   |   24 April 2020

Pick a book and start reading now!

The period we are in today can make us anxious and worried, and for most of us, distraction can be handy as a coping mechanism. There are people who turn to spending more time for their families and for themselves (trying to catch some sleep), and there are also others who indulge in recreational activities such as trying new hobbies, watching new shows and movies, and painting or sketching. For book lovers, reading can be a way of escape, but how helpful is reading in reducing our anxiety and stress?

In this article, let us explore the different ways how reading can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety.

Reading can take you to a different world

… and it’s okay if you get lost on it. Being in a new world, travelling and wondering around while you journey on discovering the stories to unfold, is a great way to take your mind off from the things that worry or overwhelm you.

Turning the pages is a soothing activity

Have you tried just turning and turning the pages of a book? Don’t you just love how they feel on your hands and fingers? This can also help lessen our stress and at the same time, exercise our hands and brains in a bookish way.

You can meditate through reading

Reading can be a form of meditation because when you focus on the book, it can quiet your brain down while you explore another world that is not familiar to you. While enjoying word by word, reading a book can also help you achieve the peace and calm that you need.

Reading helps us connect

When you start reading a new book, you are in for a new adventure. This makes you also open to connect your heart to new plots and lessons to remember, and meet new friends through fictional characters. With that new world, you are having a continuous journey of connection through your encounters of life, love, and lessons with that book. This helps you lessen the solitude you are feeling when you are anxious and stressed.

Reading can make you escape reality temporarily

Reading a book can make you forget the real things happening around you as you continue to dwell on the story. Depending on books, you can also escape your own reality and be connected to another person’s reality as shared on their novels. This is also a good way to re-evaluate yourself and your position on other people’s lives, which can also result to a better understanding and compassion towards others.

Take time to read a book in order to relax and take those worries away from your system. Of course, reading is not the pure cure for anxiety and stress, but it is nice to know that there are some things like books which can act as our friends who are ready to offer their shoulder when we need a good cry or even lend their ears to listen while we talk our worries away. Start reading now and continue to remind yourself to keep going, because there are worlds and stories you still need to go to. - AJ Villamar