With stress levels at an all-time high, there has never been a more critical time to look for relief than right now, for starters you can relax with a good book.
It is one of the best ways for you to relieve stress because it is educational, enjoyable, and healthy for the mind. You can relax with a good book. Yes, I know you weren’t expecting that, but a study from the University of Sussex shows that stress can be reduced by up to 68% with just reading alone, and it’s more effective than many other stress relievers out there.
These are some of the ways you can relax with a good book
Choose A Book That Grips You
We recommend that you read something that grips you and can keep you coming back. A page-turner is going to help you to keep the habit of reading going.
A magazine, on the other hand, will help you keep to the recommended minimum of six minutes of reading a day but doesn’t necessarily help with forming a habit.
You can decide the type of book you wish to read or ask a friend for a recommendation.
Join a community of readers
This is another good way of relaxing. It enables you to find people with mutual interests as there are often book clubs specific to various genres. And the time spent conversing with other people can also help to reduce stress.
Choose A Quiet Environment
An article on The University of Minnesota’s website advises taking 30 minutes every day to read in a quiet area where you will be free from interruption. The same article also says choosing a novel that helps you escape to another world is a good idea. monitor how you feel after reading. Sometimes it can be hard to alleviate stress, even by reading, so take stock of how you feel after your dedicated reading time.
Reduce Distractions
To get the stress-relieving benefits of reading, you need to make sure you do so in a calm environment and without distractions. You are not going to get the same benefits if you are picking up your phone every few pages and you might not be able to concentrate in the same way with the radio playing in the background.
It might be necessary to make sure you are not reading in an area with anyone else around. Conversations can also be distracting, and you know the goal is to feel relaxed after reading.
Dear EM readers what book would you be reading over the weekend?
Written by uchechukwu uzougbo
