I would call myself an introvert, I much prefer reading as opposed to socialising, similarly, I much prefer watching from a distance with music playing through my headphones. Of course, we are not all like this, many cling to social activity whilst others cling to our own worlds. For those who are extroverts, you could always form or join a book club in order to turn reading into a social activity.
I think of characters in a book as my friends, my family, even if it is just for the couple of weeks it’ll take me to complete reading the story. I often listen to music while reading, creating the perfect soundtrack.
Both of these activities are distractions from my own life but both are equally as important as they aid me in opening my mind, as I’m sure they will do for you. I also find that sometimes reading helps me put my own life in perspective, for example, if something lousy happens in my life, I’m reminded that it could be worse.
You might be asking yourself “Well, doesn’t TV do the same thing?” In answer to this hypothetical question, yes, it does but reading unlocks the imagination, reading transports us out of the little box we call life and takes us to almost another planet. TV on the other hand, whilst an enjoyable part of life, simply blackens our mind and imagination as everything is placed in front of you for your viewing pleasure, well what’s extraordinary about that? Apart from the technology, I would argue nothing.
I’m writing this article as a follow up to one of my earlier articles titled: “How poetry has helped me.“ I thought I could show you how reading, writing and equally listening to music can help us all in a variety of ways. For me, they each unlock my imagination and are almost a kind of therapy. However, for you, they could each mean something entirely different.
For some people, reading is too educational, something they’ll only associate with work or school but I can assure you, if you find the right genre, the right author, the right book, you’ll love it. Avid readers even prefer reading the book to watching the film adapation. There are billions of books out there, you are bound to find the right one.
I have read many books I have found noteworthy such as;
- John Green – The Fault In Our Stars
- John Green and David Levithan – Will Grayson, Will Grayson
- Ned Vizzini – It’s Kind Of A Funny Story
- Jodi Picoult – Small Great Things
- Veronica Roth – The Divergent Trilogy
As for listening to music, there is an article stating the benefits of this. Some of the benefits include; making a person happier, reducing stress, depression and pain. It can also improve sleep. Therefore, it is definitely worth doing, as is reading.
I hope I’ve inspired you, and if I have, I hope you enjoy.
