Can Reading Benefit Your Mind and Body?
The short answer is yes. Personally, reading has benefited my mental health tremendously. The first thing I did when I was struggling mentally was to pick up a book and read it. When I did this, I felt my mind transport itself into the storyline, and all my stress essentially melted away. With the stress going away, my body could relax and recover. Reading can have different effects and benefits for everyone. Below, I will talk about the benefits, in hopes of encouraging you to start reading.
Lower Blood Pressure: When you start reading, your body relaxes, which then means your respiratory and heart rates slow down. And both of those things lead to lower blood pressure because your body isn’t working overtime due to stress.
Heals The Brain: Reading gives the complex thinking/action parts of your brain a good healthy workout, which rewires your brain, making you a more empathetic person. It also helps improve memory function and keeps your brain functioning more properly and effectively as you age. The major benefit is that reading slows down cognitive decline, which helps slow down the development of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Enhances Communication Skills: Reading has been known to increase a person’s vocabulary. It can open your mind to different options and choices that you may not have thought of or considered before in certain situations. Reading can also expand our knowledge of different types of people, places, and things, which leads us to better understand people’s perspectives when having a conversation with them.
Supports Mental Health and Well-Being The act of reading lowers your heart rate, which reduces tension throughout your body both mentally and physically. It also reduces stress by refocusing your mind, which essentially takes attention off the issues that are causing mental health problems. Reading helps foster a very relaxing environment, helping you avoid any negative or sad stressors to your mental health. Along with healing the brain, reading has great effects on improving cognition and reducing rates of depression and anxiety-related problems.
Reading is a healthy escape for your mind and body. The benefits talked about previously will look different for everyone. Just because you don’t see immediate results doesn’t mean you should put the book down. Find a book that really piques your interest and get to reading. This is a great step to take on your self-love and self-care journey.
—Cheyenne Schreiner, Self-Care Editor