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0 By Chelsea Parker
Reading is a mindful activity
When you make the decision to become immersed in a book you’re reading, you also make the decision to shut yourself off and focus solely on the words. Anxious thoughts or a negative setting are turned into background noise as you widen your horizons and experience a new world.
A film or TV series you adore may have been adapted from a book. Giving the opportunity to explore your favourite character and get inside their head. While the concentration it takes helps you forget how overwhelmed you’d been looking at the messy house you can’t cope with cleaning, and distracts you from that comment a colleague made two days ago that cut deep and refuses to shake off.
Self-help books are also a great mental health aid.
They can give a stagnant perspective a nudge in a positive direction. Remind you that you’re not alone in the struggle. Or help a specific mental health issue, like how to calm your racing thoughts.
Rereading a novel can trigger thoughts and feelings from the last time, or first time, you experienced it. So choosing a storybook from childhood can remind us of forgotten feelings of comfort and of being loved and protected.
If you want to give your brain a rest from worry and are looking for a book to try, here are a few gems I’ve enjoyed in 2019:
– The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson (a delightfully random multi-national piece of fiction)
– This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay (the hilarious experiences of a gynaecologist)
– A Keeper by Graham Norton (yes, the guy with the chat show is writing fiction!)
– and What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristen Newman (for those who love to travel)
Alternatively, if you’re looking something of the self-help persuasion, I recommend:
– F**K It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way by John C. Parkin
– or The Tao Of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (for those who love Taoism)
Be kind to yourself with a book.
Rest. Read. Relax.
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