One of my new found rediscovered hobbies is reading. I’ve always been a bookworm to some extent, but as I got older social media became the new thing & I felt like I didn’t have time for it anymore. I wanted to start this detox series with the topic of reading because I’ve discovered, you CAN make time for it – you just have to switch up your priorities. Reading has become my escape & way to find peace within this chaotic world. I read over five books a month now, share my reading wrap ups monthly [ here’s last’s months ] & even share amateur reviews on Instagram. Here’s Why Replacing Your Screen Time With Reading is Good For You:
You Stop The Habit of Mindless Scrolling
So many days wasted scrolling for hours on TikTok or Instagram – for what? To see a photo of someone’s sandwich? Another group photo of an event you weren’t invited to? Or better yet, just comparing someone else’s “perfect” feed to your own life. Instead, I make the conscious effort to put down the phone during those leisure moments & pick up a book [ or Kindle] instead. Stop getting so caught up in other people’s lives & escape to those fantasy stories or learn something new during that time. Even I discovered how much time you really have within a day. Now, instead of saying I scrolled through my news feed for four hours, I can say I read half a book.
You Become Smarter
It’s a scientific fact, reading makes you smarter. You can better comprehend your surroundings, you improve your interpersonal skills, you gain a sense of imagination, make better decisions both emotionally & rationally, improves your vocabulary, & even helps you reflect. I personally, love to read both fiction & nonfiction novels for this very reason. Although I love escaping to imaginary worlds, I also like improving myself with self help or learning a new task. There is endless knowledge within a bookshelf.
You Become More Creative
Tying in the imagination aspect to reading, this also helps those creative juices flow. Anytime I’m in a creative slump or having writers block – I’ll pick up a book to read. And most of the time, reading just a few chapters helps ignite that creativity for my own work once again. Reading books encourages inspiration & sometimes we need a little help within that department.
You Stop Comparing Your Life To Others
There are so many ways to distract the mind from comparing yourself to other people. Reading has been my favorite hobby to halt those bad habits. Who has time to worry about what other people are doing when you have beautiful stories to read about?
You Find Yourself Through The Stories
A bit cheesy but so true [ especially if you are one to annotate your books ]. I’ve found quotes to be so relatable to my personal struggles or experiences & sometimes other people’s words just explain your feelings far better than you ever could. Not only do certain lines resonate with me, but certain genres & storylines become a sense of my personality. We all have likes & dislikes when it comes to our TBR choices. I find myself leaning towards psychological thrillers, ghost stories & fantasies. But I also find comfort in the occasional romance. I had someone tell me, “you can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to read.” And I guess there is truth to that – unless you are like me & pick a lot of hyped bookstagram ones. But I think it’s a vulnerable thing to see what words people find beautiful.
You Become Happier
Rediscovering reading has made childhood Bee quite happy. It’s like a long lost love return to your life – at least for me. In this phase of healing, I try & find little moments & hobbies that bring a sense of joy to my days. And reading has been that saving grace. Even my husband notices this change in me & actually loves hearing me talk about books I’ve read & entices me with date nights to Barnes & Noble some. We even find ourselves reading on the couch together in pure silence just basking in the comfort of one another.
Mind Beauty Simplicity 