One Practice to Drastically Boost Mental Health: Elevating Your Life Through Daily Reading
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Since you clicked on this article, I bet you’re the kind of person who sees the value in reading.
I’ve always found joy in reading, but I’ve gone lengths of time without it. The forced and agonizing reading assignments that come with school turned me off for a while.
Thinking back to times in my life when I did not read daily, those were the same times when I was most unhealthy — mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
It wasn’t until I discovered The Law of Attraction books by Esther and Jerry Hicks that I became hooked on reading again. I made it a part of my morning routine because I noticed how much the practice benefitted my mindset each day. I could feel the excitement and peace of a morning read with a warm mug of coffee. And when I slept in… I noticed how off I felt without reading.
Over these 3 years, my reading practice has evolved. While thinking about how I can support people who are struggling to get out of a slump, I thought about how I’ve never felt depressed, anxious, or unhappy during periods in my life when I’m reading daily.
With a morning and evening practice that I almost never miss, I believe it’s the reason for so many good things in my life.
Here are some lesser-known benefits of a daily reading practice.
Learn From Others Mistakes Rather Than Living Them
When you read, you learn from other life experiences. People who have lived differently and accomplished more than you share all their mistakes along the way in books. By reading, you can learn the valuable lessons that come with failure without having to experience the setback yourself.
Whatever your goals are in life — whether it’s to be a billionaire, to work your way up in the fashion industry, or to be an amazing parent — you can read books on people who have done the thing you want to do.
This gives you insider access. Like a perfectly matched mentor to dish out all the need-to-know tips and tricks of that path.
Even in fiction novels, some themes directly relate to human life experiences. You can learn a ton about relationships, betrayal, and navigating the world with confidence through a riveting fiction series that is so good you can’t put it down.
Build Compassion
Reading gives you a seat at the table with people who have lived completely different circumstances from you.
I believe the quote, “It is impossible to hate someone when you know their story.”
By soaking in the reality that people are not so clearly bad or good, you can understand those who initially you might want to turn your back on or criticize.
We are all human and we all experience life differently which shapes our decision-making and personality.
The more you learn and expose yourself to a wide variety of people, the more you can show up in the world with more compassion. Instead of seeing a news headline and immediately jumping to a good or bad opinion about someone, it will be easier to see the humanity in each polarizing side.
This compassion helps you disarm people which means you can have genuine and important conversations that create real change in our world.
Human Connection
I believe that you will never feel lonely if you are a reader.
This is why it is such a beautiful practice for everyone, especially those who are struggling with mental health.
Reading helps you feel more alive and more connected to our collective human experience while snuggled up peacefully in the safety of your own energy.
Even books that describe stories that are so far from your reality, still expose themes and describe the feeling of true human emotions that almost everyone can relate to in their own way.
When you are a reader, you become more interesting when you are out in the world because you have more rich topics to discuss. This helps you avoid folding to the ease of gossip to fill the space. Being seen as someone who uplifts the room by sharing value makes people enjoy the way they feel around you.
It might foster relationships with people you never thought you’d connect with because of your differences.
If someone discusses a life experience that you haven’t faced, but you read someone’s story where they dealt with something similar, you can share what you read honestly, adding to the conversation and deepening your connection with that person which helps them feel heard and accepted.
Bask in the Bliss of Your Own Peace
Today we are swarmed with constant stimulation that begs for our attention by triggering our stress responses and insecurities.
Speaking from personal experience, reading helped me heal my mental health by allowing me to fully immerse in someone else’s experience. Engaging in this brought me closer to myself.
Reading does not leave room for multitasking the way watching a show or listening to an audiobook does. It forces you into the present moment while giving your brain the stimulation it needs to rejuvenate.
A well-rested mind leaves room for creativity and clarity about who you are. This can be the gateway to living a life you truly enjoy.
Set the Vibe
Reading is great for mental health as is, but jazzing it up and creating a beautiful ritual makes it a slice of heaven that you can easily access every single day no matter what else is going on in your world.
Either make a soothing, warm drink to hold and sip while you read or put your legs up the wall for an immediate cleansing burst of relaxation.
If it feels helpful, light a candle or play frequency music to heighten your presence.
My favorite moment of the day is when my dog races over to join my reading ritual. He will jump onto my lap or lay directly on top of my chest while my legs are up the wall. The heaviness of his 10-pound body against mine and the soft sounds of his breath puts me straight into a restorative parasympathetic state.
Find Your Genre
If you don’t consider yourself a reader, do not start with an intense text that you’ll struggle through.
Think about a topic or storyline that you enjoy when you’re watching TV or scrolling on your phone.
If you’re drawn to action and mystical realms, choose a fiction book that interests you. If you love reality TV, read a celebrity memoir to get the real, detailed scoop.
I love a self-help / spiritual book in the morning and a memoir in the evening, but I always switch it up based on my interests at the moment.
Find what you enjoy and look forward to. Then schedule your reading time.
If you don’t schedule it, there’s a great chance you’ll be busy and never get around to it.
Set just 10 minutes aside at the same time each day and commit to sticking to it no matter how hectic the day is. This is how you create consistency and make it a habit that is so second nature, you won't even have to think about it.
Then before you know it, you’re a daily reader and experiencing all the beautiful ways it changes the way you think and feel about yourself, your relationships, and the world around you.
🤍 Jaclyn
My wellness eBook is coming soon. Inside I share book recommendations for changing your mindset, empowering your feminine, and deepening your human connection. Be the first to get access by dropping your email below 👇
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