Reading can be a savour quite literally for some – books are so well enjoyed because they offer us escapism and distraction. But how exactly do books help to benefit our mental health?
Have you heard of the term bibliotherapy? It refers to either doctor advised or self ‘medicated’ reading to help mental health. There is even a site called Reading Well that offers a prescription service that sends you books to benefit your health and well being. Books are clearly well recognised as being beneficial to our mental health, especially if they’re being recommended by some doctors. But what is it about books that really gets us into a more positive mindset?
“Bibliotherapy, quite simply, is about books as therapy. It’s not meant to take the place of medicine, but it can compliment it.” – Dr Byrne, founder of ReLit
The habit and routine of reading can create some order in your day, which can be especially important for those who find themselves feeling regularly anxious or stressed. This familiar and safe hobby is something they can regularly turn to and rely on to offer some calm and clarity. Building up a routine in day-to-day life can really benefit certain people, reading before bed for example may offer readers the bibliotherapy they need to reset for another day and feel more positive.
There are countless articles and peices of research prooving the benefits of reading on our mental health. Personally, I have seen reading as a safe heaven and as a place, I can go to control my thoughts. If I’m really absorbed in a book I’m not thinking quite so much about the things causing me to be stressed or upset. In my darker day,s I have turned to a book and it has offered me comfort and distraction. As a child I would run around the school playground pretending to be a witch who could fly and cast spells and was in battles, it was great fun! Now though, I can still take my imagination to those same places and escape with a book.
Not only do books offer us an escape, but they also offer us understanding. In poetry especially, we find people that have been through the same things we have if we look hard enough. There are characters written in fiction that are going through our experiences and can make us feel less alone. So many people turn to poetry for example when dealing with grief, because so much poetry is written from a place of heartache and pain. It can help to read about it and know you are not alone, even if your companion in this terrible time is fictional.
A study at Yale University of Public Health has actually proven that people who read books could enjoy a longer life. A 2016 study stated that book readers experienced a 20% reduction in risk of mortality over the 12 years of follow up compared to non-book readers. Now I know there are of course exceptions to this, but it’s interesting to see the stats from this research project. And it’s good to know that no TBR piles toppled over and were at risk during the study too.
Books that have helped my mental health
Harry Potter (any and all), J. K. Rowling
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you’d like to share your story, I’d love to know how books have helped your mental health.
I’ve always found that reading is a great way to relax and give me a little space from my emotions when they get overwhelming. Once I’ve had that space I can process better and handle them appropriately rather than exploding!
Reading has also helped me deal with the frustration and boredom that comes with chronic pain and not being able to work or do a lot of the things I used to do.
Thanks for this post – i never knew that reading can have some of the benefits you mentioned!! Guess I’ll have to just keep reading!
I do agree with you as books always have been my escape when real life was too heavy. For some hours I could forget about bad days and come out of my read refreshed. Books also help to have an open mind and see things under another perspective.
That was really interesting! How nice to know things like reading and animals can help you in some ways!
I really gotta escape and lose myself in books, as of which was hard whenI got my lowest point in my mental health — I couldn’t finish any books because I could still *feel* the present and the time pass.. it was solely words on pages and I was too « conscious » if it made sense?
The first book I could finish after MONTHS of struggling has been sweet thing by Renée Carlino, as of which was THE book that got me onto blogging!
I love this blog post! Re-reading, in particular, is incredibly comforting for me and something I know I can rely on when life is hard.
I’m very fortunate to never have suffered from any severe mental health problems, just the odd bad day, week, or month, here and there. However, reading in those times is such a blessing!! As much as tuning in to my favourite tv shows or youtube channels can be an escape, I’ve noticed that reading during those periods is a much better haven. I’m not at all surprised to hear that reading can be so beneficial for our mental health & that it’s prescribed, that makes so much sense & is so amazing xx
Great post! I’ve never really thought about it from a scientific perspective but it’s definitely an escape for me. It occupies my commute so is a great way of switching off. I need to try and get into reading before bed again – I used to all the time but somehow it got left somewhere. Really enjoyed reading this – any excuse to read more, right?
Love this post! Books have always been my grounding force, especially if I’m really stressed.