On World Book Day, let’s look at why reading is great for mental health.

If you struggle with your mental health, you’ll know that it rarely follows a straight line. It curves, dips, twists and for some people, doesn’t follow a specific pattern. Staying ahead of its twists and turns is a constant battle, and one we must wage daily.

Reading is the number one way I maintain my mental health. I love books in all their forms : short reads, doorstops, audiobooks, non-fiction. It’s safe to say I don’t discriminate! Reading is my happy place, the place I can escape to when life feels tough.

If you’ve been struggling with your mental health and feel like nothing you do is working (I’ve been there too), here are some reasons to give reading a try:

It reduces stress.

Reading for as little as 6 minutes a day has been proven to reduce stress. It reduces your heart rate, eases muscle tension and helps put you in a relaxed frame of mind. Remember all those people who posted about reading classic novels during the pandemic? They were on to something: 43% of UK citizens found that reading eased their stress levels during lockdown.

Reading is proven to be better at reducing stress than listening to music, going for a walk or drinking a cup of tea.

Of course you could maximize these benefits by drinking a cup of tea whilst reading a book, like I do!

It helps us to escape from the real world.

It’s a scary world out there, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or frightened by social media or what we see on the news. Reading acts as a coping mechanism, as it allows us to escape to places or time periods that we cannot visit. Reading can take us anywhere, whether it’s another planet, a ship in the middle of the ocean, or a tropical paradise. It helps us to learn about people and places that we know little about, and characters we can relate to may help us to see that life isn’t all bad, and happiness is possible.

It eases symptoms of depression.

The brain is a muscle, and requires regular exercise to keep it healthy and strong. When symptoms of depression hit us, we feel isolated, estranged from society and the people we love. Losing ourselves in a good book can lessen those feelings of estrangement, and help us to feel more connected to the world.

It improves memory and focus.

Because no one enjoys brain fog, do they? Reading gives our brains a workout, and can help to prevent memory loss. Every time we read, the complex network of signals and circuits within our brain get stronger, just as our other muscles do when we exercise.

Our reliance on screens, in addition to work pressures, family and other stresses can cause us to lose focus and forget things. So next time you want to truly relax, put that phone down and pick up a book instead.

It can form part of a healthy bedtime routine.

Reading at bedtime is an essential, non-negotiable part of my night time routine. I’ve even been known to read on New Years Eve at 2:00am! Reading before bed (even if only for a few minutes) helps me drift off into a healthy, natural sleep. If you’re busy and struggle with time to read, it can also help you to make reading a part of your day.

And finally.. it’s fun!

Reading is fun. It’s pleasurable. If you’ve ever experienced the joy of discovering a book that is so good you can’t put it down, you’ll know what I mean. The story is gripping, and you can’t wait to find out what happens next. Time slips away as you become more absorbed in the narrative. When you’ve finished, you feel a sense of loss. You miss it and wonder what happened to the characters afterwards. There’s no feeling quite like it!

Anything I’ve missed?