Reading a book can really enhance your imagination. Most books give its reader a great experience by helping them relax. Reading a book before bed instead of watching a movie can really make you feel much better after a long day at work. It might just in general help you to relax and enjoy some of your own time.
Reading books in general has a great impact on people with mental health issues. They can be used for many coping methods and ensure they have a better time during their day too. Some may find books relaxing, a great way to cope and enhance the mind. There are cons to reading books too but mostly they are better than using electronics and help your creativity grow.
What is reading?
Reading generally refers to looking at a book or something online that you may find interesting. It allows the reader to use their conscious mind to read and process what the author is trying to portray to them in the story. It can help the brain process information, take it in, and use it in the future. Reading can be spoken out loud to yourself or to others. You can also just read in silence using your thoughts and imagination at the same time.
Why is reading good for mental health?
Reading for someone with mental health issues can have really good benefits. Most benefits are for the brain. Reading can help you to keep your mind busy on something other than your worries. There are many other reasons why reading is good for mental health.
Reading is good for mental health because it offers ways to cope and keep the mind active. It allows the reader to use their imagination which in return can help to enhance the mind. With someone who may have mental health, this can occupy the mind helping in many ways. It offers a chance to help them to cope, control their negative feelings, enhance imagination, and keep the brain busy. Reading sharpens your mind and mental acuity, helps to improve your sleep and sleep quality, and also reduces stress.
As someone with anxiety, I can read an ebook on my phone with dark mode on and relax whenever I’m feeling anxious. It helps me to escape the reality of my daily life. I enjoy sometimes putting in my headphones with some relaxing music to boost the vibes and it helps me concentrate on the book I am reading. This ensures my nerves stay low so I’m not as nervous as normal. Books also allow my imagination as I often write stories so it helps give me inspiration and spark new ideas. I also found that when I am reading before bed, I sleep better and earlier. Whereas, if I am playing video games I can’t sleep too well and I also sleep longer due to tiredness.
Why is reading bad for mental health?
There aren’t many negative problems caused by reading for those with mental health. Typically there are negative emotions caused by elevated stress when reading, maybe an intense paragraph can lead to that feeling. This can be caused by feelings of fear, obsession or guilt, and many more. This can be caused by reading r about something that may cause you to feel those feelings. Some books could give you flashbacks of past trauma.
Some people with mental health issues may have behavioral problems when reading certain things from books. To avoid this it is best to read calming genre of books like a relaxing book instead of a book about war or something similar. You may see that they start to emulate the bad behaviors they have read in the book. Reading is meant to be a way to help keep the mind active but can cause it to become too active.
Addictive reading also can be an issue. This is because you may see it as a coping method but then it becomes your most relied-on support. If that happens, you might want to seek some help from your GP to find other ways to help. Addictive reading can lead to a lack of sleep, eating problems, and much more.
Benefits of reading
You don’t have to read for too long in a day. 6 minutes of reading a day can ensure you all get the same benefits whether you have mental health or not. It has been proven that reading just for a short amount of time in a day can improve memory. This in turn can help with work, school, exams and so much more! Having an improved memory can benefit us in so many ways.
It has also been said that reading is a form of exercise for the brain. This means the brain functions better daily if you read every day for a little bit. It can improve problem-solving, focus, and literacy. You may also notice a boost in your motivation, you’ll be less stressed, and more relaxed. Just know you will gain better knowledge too and your concentration gets a boost!
You can also see that your sleep will be better. If you were to compare reading and watching youtube, studies found that if you read you fall asleep better. Watching a video before bed makes your mind stay awake which in return makes it difficult to sleep. You get a good form of entertainment out of the book you are reading which is better than watching youtube. You will find yourself immersed in the story and imagine it with your mind! This is why reading is so good, your imagination can go wild. Reading is just really great, I recommend it to anyone!
