How often have you read a book since you were younger? I know since I began high school I read less and less books as I had less and less time, and I always bought new books, but I’ve barely had the time to finish any of them, let alone begin a new one. Then the excitement wears off and I forget about them on the bookshelf for months until I pick one up finally and read maybe a few pages and become bored of it. I used to really enjoy reading when I was younger, so much that I used to finish some of the Harry Potter books in just a week or so. So how can you become that excited kid again and enjoy a good book, even when life becomes busy? Well, I’m asking myself the same question.
For starters, reading is a great way to keep up your mental agility. Reading, writing, and teaching others are all great ways to stay sharp. If you’ve ever heard of the nun study, it showed how a group of nuns who all read often, continued daily practices, and continued to teach had the physical signs of Alzheimer’s, but showed none of the symptoms. Reading books and furthering your knowledge has always been seen as “weird”, it’s been shown that way in movies and t.v. shows for as long as I can remember, but it has such significant positive outcomes attached that can’t be ignored.
Reading is a great hobby as well since there are an infinite number of books in the world to read, and so many genres and types of books, that there will always be something interesting to delve into. Some of my favourite books from the past year include The Alchemist as well as The Book Thief, both amazing reads that I highly recommend. Self-help books are also interesting to me, because they teach so many useful tools and ways to better yourself and work through tough feelings. There are art books and photography books that are so beautiful to flip through and make for a great coffee-table book.
I know with my generation we all spend so much time on Netflix and TikToks (myself included) that we don’t really take the time to read anymore. I rarely talk about books with my friends, coworkers, etc. and I think we should be making reading more of a priority in our lives. If not to keep your mind in good shape, then just for the fun of reading a good story and enjoying it! One of my last articles I talked about living your life like a storybook, almost, and how viewing your life as a series of chapters might make things more interesting. I think that reading more books, whatever genre you prefer, would also make life a bit more interesting. Learning new words and phrases from a book or being inspired by a character you read about are all exciting. Reading also helps to build your vocabulary and helps you to become a better writer (a skill I’m sure most of us students need to keep up).
Reading should most definitely be more of a priority in our lives, and I sometimes just wish I had more time and energy in my days to read the many books that are waiting for me!
