How books can help improve your life
Do you love reading? I hope you do because it will help you improve your life. How? Find out in this post...
Hello, my fellow Zengardians!
I hope all is well in your little corner of the world!
The last few days in my corner have been rather gloomy and wet – it’s been raining non-stop.
On the upside – I got more time to stay indoors and enjoy a few good books! I say a few not because I read more than one book in a few days, but because I always read a few books simultaneously.
At the moment I am reading a book called What Would Freud Do?: How the Greatest Psychotherapists Would Solve Your Everyday Problems, by Sarah Tomley and House Atreides (a Dune book), by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and I recently finished Stephen King’s Holly.
Being a giant book nerd, I decided it might be a good idea if I wrote a blog post about reading, so here it is, hope you enjoy it. 😊
How do books help us in life?
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved stories, being told and read stories as a kid, finding out I could read my own stories once I learned how, and finally getting a library card, and discovering infinite worlds between the bookshelves.
To me, books aren’t just magic, they’re teachers, they’re coping mechanisms, they’re friends, they’re an escape hatch, they’re a good weapon (especially if it’s a thick book 😉), they’re so much more…
So how do books help us in life?
I find they help me reduce stress and relax when I need it, they feed and empower my imagination, improve my creativity, help with my memory, teach me so many new things, and last, but not least – they’re so much FUN.
“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn't carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”
― Stephen King
I remember watching Beauty and the Beast as a kid and falling in love not with the Beast but with the Beast’s library.
What are the 7 best benefits of reading books?
Reading books has infinite benefits but I’ll only list the main seven here, so you don’t have to spend the whole day reading my endless post. 😉
1. Books give us knowledge
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
History books, science books, schoolbooks, self-help books, hell, even novels and short stories are full of information and knowledge.
And knowledge doesn’t have to be a mathematic formula or a history lesson. It can be a new understanding of the world you’ve gotten after reading a novel set in a different time period or a new understanding of yourself or other people’s emotions, after reading a memoir.
Books help us broaden our horizons and grow our intellect directly and indirectly.
2. Reading improves your cognitive function
“... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Your brain’s ability to solve problems, think logically, and multitask is greatly influenced by knowledge.
Studies and research have shown that reading can help increase your brain’s processing ability and improve your chances of staying alert and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s in later years.
Regular reading helps you improve your critical thinking and language skills and helps your brain stay sharp and focused.
3. Books enhance your empathy
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
― James Baldwin
Sometimes we feel alone in our hardships or even in our happiest moments. Sometimes you can’t quite explain to others what you’re going through. That’s where books come in – you read a book, a novel, or someone’s memoir – and you’re instantly connected to that person or that character. They know what you’re going through because they’re going through the same.
Books give you a chance to experience situations in which you wouldn’t normally find yourself in your daily life and let you explore feelings you wouldn’t be able to or allow yourself to feel in normal situations.
Books help us wear other people’s shoes, put ourselves in their places, and understand them better, and that increases our empathy towards others.
4. Reading improves your creativity and frees your imagination
“That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
What can better feed your imagination than a good book? You open the pages and you’re transported to another place, another age.
What better place to get new ideas than a good book? Poetry can inspire you, fiction can teach you innovative ways to do things in your daily life.
Books have the power to inspire and motivate you, teach you how to overcome obstacles, and inflame your passions.
5. Books help you find a community
“There are no faster or firmer friendships than those formed between people who love the same books.”
― Irving Stone, Clarence Darrow for the Defense
I love discussing a good book with a friend, how it made us feel, what we loved and hated about it, and seeing how it affected them and how they saw it.
And if you don’t have friends who like reading as much as you there are so many amazing communities for book lovers out there.
So go join a book club, go to a literary event, or just find an online community to discuss your favorite books, share recommendations, and build new friendships.
Books can connect you to so many amazing people, you wouldn’t have met otherwise.
Here’s a confession: I’ve never joined any book clubs or communities myself. Maybe it’s because I have a lot of friends who love reading and I’ve never really needed another community…
6. Constant reading is lifelong learning and growth
“A house without books is like a room without windows.”
― Horace Mann
Books can provide you with insights, practical guidance, and advice and teach you valuable life skills, empowering you to navigate life more easily and effectively.
Even in this hectic day and age, you need to always find time for a book. Make reading your lifelong hobby and it will reward you with constant new knowledge and personal growth and development.
Use reading as an active break, as productive procrastination. You relax, reading a good book and you get the benefits of added knowledge and understanding, of personal growth.
7. Books reduce stress and help mental health
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tired of your everyday routine? Sick of life in general? Grab a book and escape!
Reading a good book will not only help you forget about the stress of everyday life or the problems you’re facing, it will transport you to a place and time where they don’t exist.
Books can help you alleviate stress, relax your mind, and improve your overall well-being. All you have to do is give them a chance and they will change your life for the better.
How a book can change your life?
“I read a book one day and my whole life was changed.”
― Orhan Pamuk, The New Life
This sounds grandiose, doesn’t it? You read a book and your life is never the same again… That’s bullshit, you’re thinking, no book can do that.
But you forget that little things can also change your life. If you think about it little things change your life constantly.
Here are a few examples of books changing your life:
You read a book that motivates you to stop a bad habit;
You read a book that excites you to start a new hobby;
You read a book that urges you to start working out;
You read a book that makes you a better chef, or gardener, or…
I can go on forever. These are all little things that, even if not dramatically, change your life for the better. And this is how a book can change your life.
How can I start reading more?
Reading is like breathing to me – I just do it, always, without even thinking. If I have to wait for a train or I’m stuck in a queue – I start reading, it’s like a reflex.
However, not everyone finds it that easy to include reading in their daily routine, so here are a few tricks you can try to incorporate more reading into your life:
1. 📚Start with small books: Don’t throw yourself into the deep with a large book, start small. Pick a light novella or a book with short stories in it. That way you can read a story at a sitting and not feel like you’ve been interrupted or like it would take too long.
2. 🎧Listen to an audiobook: I’ve only recently started doing this and it felt weird at first because I find it easier when I’m looking at the words, instead of hearing them. And some people may find it isn’t for them, but if you end up enjoying it it is a great way to “read” on the go – on your way somewhere, in the metro, or even at lunch if you’re not going out with friends or colleagues. It leaves your hands free so you can even multitask.
3. 📱 Get an app for your phone or an e-book reader: Reading books doesn’t mean carrying a paperback around everywhere. You can use your phone or get an e-book reader. They’re lighter and you don’t worry about damaging your book. I’ve got this reading app on my phone and at the moment I do most of my reading on it. It’s very convenient. Since you always have your phone with you – you always have a book at hand.
4. ✅ Join a book challenge (Goodreads has a great one): I’ve always loved reading, so when I found Goodreads my world blew up (I was reading nine books at the same time at one point because it kept recommending new ones). It’s THE place to go if you’re an avid reader – it gives you recommendations, access to author posts, giveaways, and a wonderful community. And it has this awesome reading challenge every year. You set the amount of books you want to read for the year and you can track them with the app.
5. 📋 Set reading goals and add them to your daily tasks: If you have a daily planner you can add a reading goal to it and set a time of the day when you can sit down to read for 20-30 minutes.
Conclusion 🔚
The conclusion is obvious: books are awesome! And while reading is good for you and benefits your well-being, you should read because you enjoy it, not because you have to.
You should read because books open the door to infinite worlds, feelings, people, and situations. And you can live a thousand lives, just by reading books.
I hope my post will inspire some of you to start reading or to read more.
“Be awesome! Be a book nut!”
― Dr. Seuss
How do you guys find ways to read more books? Did you hate reading the ones they gave you at school? (I kinda loved them, well most of them) Do you have a book nook where you like to sit and read? Let me know in the comments below. 💬