Reading is good for your Mental Health

There are many ways to support your own mental health and one of them is reading. It may seem surprising but reading can be extremely beneficial to your mental health. Getting lost in a good book with your imagination and transported to that moment in the story can feel like nectar to the mind and soul.

Improve your ability to Focus

Reading a novel enhances connectivity in the brain as well as improving brain function. According to Neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, reading helps increase our attention span and improves our ability to think more clearly and therefore focus

“Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end – a structure that encourages our brains to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance”

Reducing Stress

Reading can reduce stress by 68% with as little as 6 minutes a day! This will reduce stress, reduce your heart rate, ease muscle tension and improve your mental wellbeing; this is according to a 2009 study at the University of Sussex. The same study learned that reading is more beneficial for reducing stress than going for a walk, listening to music or relaxing with a cup of tea! I wonder how much more stress is reduced if you read a book whilst drinking a cup of tea!

Reading helps prevent memory loss

This bold claim comes from an American Neurology study in 2013 and shows that taking part in cognitive activities, such as reading over a life time showed a slower rate of memory loss compared to those who did not participate in mentally stimulating activities. This study also found that mental decline reduced by 32% when people took part in reading, writing and other activities later on in life. Those who did not take part in stimulating activity found a 48% faster decline.

Reading groups help treat Mental Health Issues

Scientific research shows that reading and then talking about the book you have read can be beneficial to mental health and well-being.

Are you a member of a book club?

If you are you may find your regular meetings are nourishing for your mental well-being and others in your club. Whilst book club is not for everyone, simply reading a novel can give you a psychological boost which may encourage personal growth whilst reducing anxiety. This phenomenon is called Bibliotherapy and was first coined by Presbyterian minister Samuel M Crothers in 1916. Bibliotherapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of depression.

What does Reading mean for you?

We all have our own relationship with reading which is as unique to us. If reading this article has inspired you in pick up a book that is fantastic! Taking the time to look after your mental health in whatever way you can is so important.

Take lots of care of you.

Written by your local counsellor in Fleet, Caroline at Caroline Ellison Counselling – this is my experience and these are my opinions. Carpe Diem.