I used to be an avid reader, but years of high school and depression completely ruined that. I haven’t been able to complete a novel since senior year six years ago. It’s frustrating to me and I want to know how I can overcome my lack of focus and anxiety. I’ve heard I’m not alone when it comes to this sort of thing at least.
E: I wasn’t expecting so many replies. Thank you, all of you, for the ideas.
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It takes me about a week of holiday before I can read. No work stress, and less obsession with the continual dopamine hits of smart phones, eventually lets my brain relax enough to pick up a book.
Every time I come back from holidays I tell myself I should keep reading. I never have kept it up though…
Hey there, I was right there with you about a year ago. Couple years ago I easily read through 50 books in a year, then right at the end of college I couldn’t even begin one. After 3 years being out, I finally finished a couple books in less than half a year.
What helped is reading something easy and fun. Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy was it for me. Nowadays I’m doing therapy as well, which helps. I’m nowhere near as voracious a reader as I once was but I’m a different person than I was years ago, so that’s fine.
You are getting a lot of advice on which books to read and strategies on how to read them, but one thing that I feel is often very overlooked, despite how important it is, is to search a proper ambient for a reading session.
Get yourself a comfy seat and a nice light. Turn off your phone’s notifications (except for calls and other important matters) and put your phone away, same with your computer. You can have soft background music (no lyrics, of course) if that is your cup of tea, just make it so you cannot see the screen. Get a cup of coffee or tea if you like that, and put an alarm on your clock: until the alarm sounds, there are no obligations or anything else for you to do other than reading at your own pace.
