I’m sure if you are an avid reader like me, you don’t need a list of reasons to read each day. We do it for the love of books, or the love of the escape into another world, but there are important reasons to keep it up. If you don’t read a lot or at all, maybe this list of reasons to read will help you give reading, for the sake of reading, a second chance.
1 Stress Relief
Yes, this is one of the main reasons to read. You can forget the coworker who was a pain in the neck at the morning meeting. You’ll let go of the stress of 5-o’clock traffic. Once you’ve gotten the kids to bed and dinner dishes are washed, sitting down with a book seems to automatically relax you, and once you have read a page or two, those stresses from the day will fade.
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2 Expand Your Vocabulary
I’m a word nerd. I admit it. Reading expands your vocabulary basically without study. This will help you in so many ways. The more articulate you are the better! When you can express yourself without inserting "like" or "you know" and use those $5 words every now and then, it impresses.
3 Reading is Free
All you need is a library card! I’m not sure about all libraries, but I can check out a boatload of books and have at least a month before I have to return them. I love the library!
4 Stimulate Your Mind
Reading is another thing you can do along with crosswords and other puzzles to keep your mind in good working order. It can help slow (or maybe even prevent) the progress of Alzheimer’s dementia. Work your mind, everyone!
5 Improved Concentration
I’ve seen a lot of articles lately about how the Internet affects our ability to stay focused. We are quickly going from one thing to another on the Internet. Doing this really affects our concentration. When you sit down in your favorite chair with a book, you’re going to read at least a chapter or two or three, and that is only going to help improve your concentration and focus.
6 What Did You Learn Today?
While I mostly read fiction, I do enjoy biographies and historical novels. I can remember in elementary school heading straight to the biography section during library time. I absorbed the books about Annie Oakley, Florence Nightingale, Abigail Adams, and Clara Barton. Today, I read about Hitler’s rise during WW2 because I want to know more about why my grandfather spent three years in the Army during that time. Of course, you can learn not only about people, but how to do things, self improvement, cooking, and that’s not all. There’s so much out there for us to learn.
7 Simple Tranquility
Ah, yes. I am a bit older than most of you, but when you pack a book for that trip to the beach, find your perfect spot on the sand, and settle in for the day, what could be more tranquil than reading while the wind blows and the waves crash? I can’t think of anything, can you? As women, older and younger, we are rushed and pushed to our limits at times. We need our down-time. Reading, whether on the beach, on your couch, or in the bath, is a wonderful way to find that tranquility we all need.
Promise me that if you haven’t been much of a reader that you’ll give it another try. The choices are endless with fiction, self-help, how-to, biographies, historical events, romance, and more. Discover what you’ve been missing!
