Why Everyone Needs To Start Reading Again + How To Actually Do It

Welcome, to August readers! Wait, let me just get your anxiety going for a quick second:

*whispers* There are only 5 months left in the year and you still haven't achieved everything you wanted to. *whispers*

Great! Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the post shall we? This week I'll be getting into the importance of reading and how we can get back into the habit of it just because I've been struggling with this recently but I've been getting a lot better at it and I was immediately reminded of how great reading is. Honestly, I think the decline of how much we enjoy reading comes as a result of school (at least, for me it did) but we can't allow that to cement our judgement of reading as something despairing and grueling. It's important to read outside of those environments and I'll tell you exactly why and how!

But before we get into all that, if you're new to my blog, welcome! I do posts like this all the time and if you like what you read, you might as well subscribe and join the family so you can get notified every time I drop a new post and do some other exciting and cool things! To my constant readers, you guys already know how much I love you! Oh, and don't forget to tap that little heart icon at the end of this post because for every like a puppy gets adopted! Alright now that that's out of the way this is: Why Everyone Needs To Start Reading Again + How To Actually Do It

*no puppies were adopted in the making of this blog post

You see, a couple of days ago I found myself watching this YouTube video detailing how hard we make reading seem, but in reality, it's a lot easier in practice. In the video, a man tries to figure out the best strategy to get back into reading and forming a genuine connection with the activity again.

But the reason I brig it up is because, I think there's really a simple answer. And I want to share my thoughts with you guys!

Why We Stop Reading

In my opinion? Two things. The Digital Age and School.

It's important to know what exactly is preventing us from reading to make ourselves a little more self-aware and give us at least the chance to attempt to remedy the problem. Sure, there are other things that we say contribute to our lack of reading like "I just can't find the right book!" and "Oh no, I don't have enough time! I'm so busy!" But those excuses are invalid, Jan. You'll never know if a book is for you until you actually pick it up and read it, trust me on that one. And I hate to break it to you but you're not the most busy person on the planet. People busier than you still make the time to read and you can do it too, especially today with audio-books that you can listen to on the go!

I think what it really comes down to is the over-saturation of highly stimulative media in today's digital age. When we have a phone or laptop or anything really, there seems to be so much more enticing things to do. With bright, flashing colours, memes that you can laugh at in just seven seconds and stimulative audio, it's no surprise that a book sounds boring. It takes a lot more attention and focus to dive into a book than say, a YouTube video. But the reward, my friend, is worth it.

Another thing is school. *shivers* I think we all kinda stopped reading in our early teen years when school became more pressing and suddenly we were forced to do all this mandatory reading to pass exams and uncover information that would be important later (or so they claimed). And I think in that way, we developed a negative association with books and that became the beginning of the end of our healthy relationships with books. No longer were we able to read for love and gaining insight but it suddenly became a burden.

Well, no more, I say! Let me refresh your memory of the absolutely unparalleled profit of reading a good book!

The Importance of Reading

Beyond the classic answers people might give you for the importance of reading like increasing your vocabulary and learning new things, I think the highest order of benefit or achievable gain one can get from reading is experience.

I think books have a very peculiar and unique way of transporting your mind and body into a completely different place where you can watch everything almost from the clouds, kinda like God, and witness a story unfold. At that point, you become a third party to the events you're witnessing and you almost start to live vicariously through the characters you're reading about, thus gaining their experiences without so much as moving from your couch.

I think what most good books do is express, in the most natural way, the human condition. Whether fiction or non-fiction they explore the universal culture of what it means to be homo-sapien and unravel our very existence into digestible and comprehensive pages. In that way, books give us insight. I don't think any other entertainment medium can do it as well as a book.

So, you see, now increased vocabulary and learning new things sounds a little mundane doesn't it? Well, that's because they are. It doesn't make them non-beneficial either but, what it means is that when you pick up a book you want to go into it ready to invest into an experience and journey rather than go into it expecting an outcome. I believe that you shouldn't know exactly what a book has done to you and how you've changed until you've finished it. I think that way, in retrospect you're able to piece yourself together, simultaneously discovering new parts that you weren't sure were there before and come back to reality. That's how you know you've found a good book.

How To Get Back Into Reading

I think once there's an internal recognition and acknowledgement of everything I just said above, that's the first step. You'll be better off for it. But besides being in the correct mental space, the next important thing to do is to begin to practice what you preach. Yes, I said it. You actually have to start reading.

Lucky for you though, I've compiled a list of some books that I think will immediately suck you in and make you actually want to read and never stop. Here you are!

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

3. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

4. Burden to Bury by @concussive

5. Like Hurricanes by @live-artistically

Go ahead, pick one and get started!

Conclusion

It's quite simple, really. Reading is an unmatched experience, I can promise you that much. And the best way to get back into it is to understand why we don't do it anymore and then get back into it by picking up a new book immediately and remain cognizant of the thing that made you stop in the first place so you don't give them that strength over you again. You can do it!

And that's all it is for this week, readers! This was Why Everyone Needs To Start Reading Again + How To Actually Do It. Now, go forth, and start reading!

What's one book that impacted you heavily and you'll never forget? Tell me about it in the comments! If you liked this blog post don't forget to drop a like by clicking that heart icon and share it with your friends! Be sure to follow me on Wattpad as well because I just finished Wicked, Wild, Wonderful and now I'm focusing all my effort on Godspeed! Also, catch me over on Medium for other articles and Twitter and Instagram where I occasionally rant, share music and discuss the pains of being a creator. Thanks for reading! See you guys next week!