Books: My mental health companion
- Nipankshi Sharma
- Dec 22, 2022
- 1 min read
Better than a companion and lovelier than a lover, books are my those companions who always advise me to dream high and not to look at the past rather than analyze it. They never brought me down when it comes to giving advice and strategies.
How do books help us?
Helps in our cognitive development
Researchers using MRI scans have found that reading uses many complex networks and circuits of the brain, which get more activated with the continuous habit of reading.
Helps in making us more empathetic
Reading allows us to get involved with the plots, story, and setting of a book which enhances in us the empathy for the values, and situations that another person has, which is an essential need to maintain social relationships.
Improves our vocabulary
It is genuine that reading a lot of words will improve our vocabulary. It helps us to have good scores in many areas of education and life.
Give us exposure to varied thoughts
Books, being written by writers in different places, times, and situations, give us exposure to things of that time. So a prolonged history of humankind is in our hands
Help us to keep our mental state healthy
British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton once wrote, “Consolation from imaginary things is not an imaginary consolation.” That is what a book provides us at times of our highs and lows.
What kind of books should one read?
It's a tricky thing to understand but crucial as well. Reading can only benefit a person when it is according to the needs of that person.
So, let's understand ourselves in different situations:
When we are under pressure
Surely this time, we do not want other people to meddle with us because of some negativity they may spread, but we also want something to uplift us. There we can take help from non-fictional and self-help books. These books will allow us to have good strategies to cope with our situation.
When we feel detached from the world
It's a time we all had or have in our lives. At this time, we must take help from fictional books. They allow us to have a temporary escape from the real world and surpass this feeling of alienation. As rightly said by Neil Garima," Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
When we feel too sparky
At times, we feel ourselves to be very energetic. So, during that, we can take help from books (The power of Atomic habits, MiniHabits, Limitless, etc.) that can channel our energy to a goal-directed move.
When should we stop reading?
People always suggest reading but at what point we should stop reading is a big question. Let's find an answer:
We should stop reading a book when-
It doesn't excite us further
When we read continuously for a long, it is obvious that we may get bored. So, at that time, our minds won't be able to grasp further information. Then, it is better to put the book aside.
The content is not for you
Sometimes, a book that seems exciting may contain information that is not right for you at that time. You don't want to read a breakup story when your new love life has just started. So, rather than confusing your mind, it's better to stop reading that part
The language is not easy to understand
Reading is not easy. Many writers have written their books in an unusual and hard read, that it is uneasy many times. Then, stop reading that book for some time.
Printed vs Digital books!
Mostly it is advised to have a printed book rather than a digital one. It may be because a printed book can prevent you from a higher screen time, unwanted notifications, and other social media distractions too.
But the content is the same for a book whether it is a printed version or a digital one. And even a digital book is relatively cheaper and easy to keep and read anywhere, anytime.
LET'S TALK
Let us know by voting in the poll below:
Which one do you prefer, a printed or a digital version of a book?
I am oldschool, I love flipping through real papers!
Scrolling through digital pages is interesting!
Tuning in Audiobooks is more engaging!
References:
Silly Opera is making it possible to create spaces where you can share your stories, have deep conversations about mental health, and these are open to all but based on an invite-only policy to ensure safety. We have listening circles, open-mic sessions, open discussions, ask-a-counselor and so much more including activities to encourage self-expression. For more information write to us and to join our community submit this form. See you there!
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