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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Reading benefits you at every stage of life. It increases knowledge, consolidates previously learned information, and benefits children’s development, learning, socialization, and imagination. Some studies even suggest that older adults who read frequently tend to have better outcomes when it comes to cognitive outcomes, including potentially lowering their risk of dementia and other cognitive disorders. . A neuropsychologist from Baylor College of Medicine explains how reading promotes positive mental health outcomes.
“Reading is a quiet pursuit that can be a more adaptive coping strategy than other hobbies we engage in,” said Dr. Samantha Henry, assistant professor of neurology at Baylor University. “As children, reading is seen and encouraged as a leisure activity that can be undertaken as a form of recreation. As adults, reading is often seen as a form of escapism and feels wrong. People feel guilty about reading because they think about all the other things they have to do.”
Many people read for mental health purposes, whether they realize it or not. Reading reduces stress and anxiety and helps distract your mind from other events happening around you. Creating a quiet space to focus and focus on the present moment promotes mindfulness. Reading and mindfulness can overlap in terms of emotional regulation, stress, and brain benefits. Combining reading and mindfulness requires you to read differently, as you can practice mindful meditation while incorporating reading.
When we read, our goals are usually focused on finishing a book or article within a certain amount of time and gaining knowledge. Mindful reading focuses on the act of reading itself, with no necessary destination or goal other than being aware, attentive, and fully present in the moment of reading.
Reading with heart requires more structure. Henry recommends starting with mindful breathing, which will help you cultivate and develop your mindful reading skills. Mindful reading is an advanced step that you can benefit from after trying mindful meditation, usually in the form of breathing.
“Mindful reading can be thought of in the same way as mindful breathing, where you just focus on your breathing. Usually when we breathe, we don’t think about our breathing because it happens automatically. “Traditional reading can be like that, too.” “Move toward the goal of finishing the book. Slow down and become aware of the process actually involved in reading,” says Henry. says the doctor.
Mindful reading takes practice because it eliminates the elements of passive reading, skimming, and multitasking while reading. The goal is to focus on adding more layers of awareness to your reading. Try to slow down with the intention of understanding what you are reading and how you are reading it. Eliminate all external distractions and adopt a non-judgmental attitude to gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of what you read.
Start with small passages rather than the entire book to help you focus and be aware of what you are reading. Finally, work on bringing your thoughts and intentions back to the present. Henry emphasizes the importance of developing a reading habit.
“Our thoughts are always drifting, but the practice of mindfulness helps us bring our thoughts back to the present moment in order to savor what is happening. Both mindful reading and leisure reading For me, one of the key factors is making time for it. “You don’t want to forget about these things because you don’t have space for them, so try building them into your schedule.” “Start with small steps to make them achievable and accessible,” advises Dr. Henry.
Since everyone’s schedule and life circumstances are different, it can be difficult to incorporate reading into your daily life. Even if he only has 15 minutes a day or a week to spend reading, once it becomes a habit, it will be effective. You don’t have to read at a certain time of the day or have a certain number of sessions per week, but it’s important to set aside time for it.
Those new to mindful reading should not only focus on individual words, but also pay attention to the book: how the pages look, smell, and feel.
Eliminating distractions is very important for spending leisure time and reading with attention. Reading on your phone or tablet doesn’t necessarily lead to this situation, as the screen is constantly bombarded with notifications. So, eliminate distractions by muting notifications for a period of time. Listening to audiobooks is inherently different from reading, and people tend to multitask, such as driving or cooking, while listening to audiobooks. Having a book or a tablet forces you to expend energy on your pursuit, but listening to an audiobook takes away your attention and makes you more easily distracted.
