How reading changed my Life
How I got back into reading &
took on a challenge...
How I got back into reading &
took on a challenge...
When I was a kid, reading was like breathing for me. I just couldn't get enough, it was quintessential for my life. I just loved it. Books always played an important part in my life, not only on a chilled weekend or holidays, but also during Uni and of course, while I worked as an actress. Reading was my passion.
But once I got into blogging and all that digital jazz I stopped reading. Not completely (I still read a couple of books during vacations or enjoyed my monthly magazine subscriptions) but it got reduced to a minimum. And you know what? After approx. 2 years primarly working on a computer, mostly scrolling and reading short captions/tweets I felt like my memory was detereorating. I felt ashamed. To admit that my attention span got very short was embarassing. Something needed to change...
So I decided to get back into reading and ordered a bunch of books I've always wanted to read. And for my New Year's Resolutions I wrote down
Read 12 books in 2019
And you know what? I'm now at the 12th book this year and I feel like my old self again. Getting back to reading regularly really changed my life. Here's what happened and what I've changed:
1. I set an „off duty“ alarm for 7pm every day (during work week) and tried to read for 1 hour.
2. At the beginning I got very distracted and my mind started to wander after a few pages. Sometimes I managed to read only a few pages or I just read a magazine – but I always carried on. After a few weeks my attention span improved significantly and I started to enjoy reading
3. On busy days (or during fashion week) I made one rule: If you can't sit down for an hour, try to read at least 20 pages per day.
4. Reading on a daily basis had a huge de-stressing effect on my mind & body. I don't feel that overwhelmed and stressed than I used to
5. I stopped buying magazines at the airport and read one of my books instead. Reading on an airplane is now one of my favorite things!
6. I also allowed myself to stop a book, if I really hated it after 100 pages. That never happened actually. There were definitely books that I didn't enjoy as much as others, but I never quit. You can find all my recommendations on my goodreads account.
7. I always order one book and try to avoid bulk buying books. In the past I used to buy 2-5 books at a store and it always stressed me out. So I always buy a new book, when I'm halfway through the current book.
8. While I'm reading I have the feeling that my synapses dance, if that makes sense haha
9. I registrated on goodreads to keep track on my Reading Challenge – it's such a genius app. You basically have an online shelf with all the books you've ever read + you can make a list of books you wanna read in the future. So before I go on Amazon (or visit my local bookstore) I always take a look at my goodreads profile
10. It really improved my short time memory and my attention span. Plus it boosts my inspiration and creative energy. And it brings me endless joy!
