7 Benefits of Reading every Day
Now more than ever, books are accessible and even cheap. There are different formats (hardcover, paperback, mass market, digital) that have made it much easier for just about anyone to read.
Books are accessible, they’re diverse… But how much time do you actually spend on them? If you can’t remember the last time you read a book, something’s wrong. Reading every day has benefits that you just can’t miss out on.
Reading enriches you mentally and helps keep your brain working at peak levels. But we’re talking about reading books, not magazines or newspapers or your favorite blog either.
The reading needs to be deep, connecting characters, actions, and chapters, and comparing them to the real world. In this article we’re going to show you some of the reasons you should start trying to find a book right now (and what to do once you have).
Reading every day helps your brain keep working at peak levels.
Higher emotional intelligence
Reading gets you to empathize with all the different kinds of people you follow in their adventures. A lot of them experience feelings you’ve already experienced, and that helps you put yourself in their place. Of course, you’ll do that a lot more in your real life if you’ve made reading a frequent habit.
A better vocabulary
This is one of the most well-known benefits of reading. Doing it every day helps you make a connection between the words you speak and the ones you read. The more you read, the more vocabulary you’ll learn, especially if you jump around between genres.
General knowledge about the world and culture
This happens whether you read a non-fiction tale or a fictional story. Even the most fantastical stories take inspiration from legends, history, and all the other kinds of stories that exist in our world. By reading, you get access to a ton of information that can be useful or just plain interesting.
Better spelling
This is another well-known benefit of reading. It’s true, reading a lot makes you write better. It’s more interesting than memorizing a bunch of spelling rules. The more times you see a word written, the more easily you’ll remember how to spell it.
No more stress
Taking a break from your obligations (and especially your worries) to read every day is very beneficial. It goes beyond just taking some time for yourself. It also means you’re focusing your attention on something that totally captures your mind. If you’re focused on what’s going on in the book then you probably won’t be thinking much about your to-do list for a while.
Critical thinking
The more you read, the more problems you run into (in fiction, of course). That’s helpful when it comes to taking a stance on a conflict, since there aren’t many people who don’t form opinions when there is one. While you read, the characters tell you their thoughts about the problem, and that will help you decide whether you’re with them, against them, or even whether you want to change your opinion.
Fun and entertainment
Nowadays we all take in a lot more audiovisual content, so we sometimes forget that our imagination is the best source of audiovisual content out there when we’re reading. Imagining the characters and the places they go to is very entertaining because you adapt them to your tastes, experiences, and wishes.
How to achieve this goal
It’s not easy to start reading if you’re not in the habit of it. Some people have lost the habit, but others never had it to begin with. Now that you know that reading is important, you can focus on how to make it work as a habit.
- Remember that reading is enjoyable. If you’re not in the habit of it, it can be hard to remember that reading is fun, empowering, and even revealing. You just have to give it a chance to show you that.
- Try to see each book as an achievement. The positive feeling you get after the achievement of finishing a book might make you want to start another.
- Bring your book with you everywhere. Whether it’s a hard copy or digital (although this works better if it’s a hard copy), having your book on hand is always good. If you want to, you can read while you’re on public transportation or in a waiting room, instead of looking at your phone.
- Read whenever you need time alone. Connecting habits makes them stronger and makes them last longer too. If you turn your alone time into time for reading, you’ll be doing just that.
- Read what you like. You don’t have to finish every book you start. If you don’t like a book, you shouldn’t read it. Spend your time one one that captures you, because reading should be about positive experiences.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that it’s a slow process. You’re not going to start reading a lot overnight. So start off simply and steadily, that’ll help a lot if you want to make it into a habit. Once you’re there, enjoy yourself and share the experience.