5 Ways to Get Out of a Reading Slump
So, I just got out of the worst reading slump of my life. I’m not lying here. It took me nearly two months of reading paragraphs or not even wanting to pick up a book at all before finally getting to the point where I actually wanted to read again. With that being said, I thought this was the perfect time to write a blog post of things I did to help me get out of my reading slump. So check out (in no particular order) my 5 ways to get out of a reading slump below!
Try Something New or Different!
I’ll be the first one to say that I’m all about trying out new hobbies or trying to learn something new/different from what I normally do. Anything artistic is usually right up my alley. So, when I saw the CUTEST crochet kit for The Nightmare Before Christmas in Target, I just had to try it. Did I sit for an hour trying to learn how to do the first series of loops to even make a chain? Absolutely (turns out I suck at crocheting, but I might try again later!). But, it was honestly just the kind of distraction I needed. Did it get me out of my reading slump? No, but it still helped tremendously because I just didn’t even want to think about reading. I know this technique will help a lot of people because it’s like a reset on your hobbies and will get all the creativity flowing so you can pick up a new story!
While I did buy my kit at Target, I found it to be a little more affordable on Amazon, so I’ve posted the link below!
Get Inspired
This one ties in with trying something new or different because I mentioned that trying something new might help you find that creative spark again. When I say “get inspired”, I mean go for a walk, watch a sunset, listen to a song that makes you feel ALL the emotions. Let yourself reset all of the ups and downs in life so that you feel recharged enough to start a new story. Because, let’s be honest guys, reading takes A LOT out of you emotionally. You are literally following someone through the ups and downs of their life (usually the worst downs that they’ve ever had and the best highs). So, it makes sense that you can get drained from reading too much. Sometimes, we just need to slow down and enjoy the beauty in our own lives, getting inspired by what we see around ourselves.
Be Alone with Your Thoughts
Do y’all see how this all kind of ties together? It’s almost like a step-by-step for how to do a hard reset on your reading self (even though I swore these are in no particular order haha).
As a society, we are SO quick to jump into the next thing. We barely have time to breathe, reflect, and just sit. Have you ever read one of those really great books that just make you stare at the ceiling for an hour because you don’t know how to process what you just finished reading? Pretend it’s one of those moments. Sit with your thoughts, acknowledge them, and try to figure out why you got into a reading slump in the first place. I find that, sometimes, just having the time to sit and think really gives me the break I need. We don’t have to be doing something every second of every day even though the world totally makes us feel like we have to go go go. Sit with your thoughts for a little while, I promise it will help you recharge and reflect to get you out of that reading slump.
Take a BREAK
Maybeee I should have said that these really DO have a particular order. The next one in my list is to just take a break from reading. Sometimes, we really do need to take a step back and just let ourselves stop for a moment. For me, being in a reading slump can be detrimental to my blog because my whole blog revolves around reading, writing, watching movies, and listening to audiobooks. Being in a reading slump for me was accepting the fact that all of those scheduled posts would just have to be once a week instead of two. Did I see a drop in my website performance? Unfortunately, yes, but now I feel good enough to keep reading at the same (insane) pace that I was before. A reading slump, after all, is your mind saying that it just needs a break, and if the methods above didn’t work, this is your next step.
Just Start Reading
This one is probably my least favorite on this list, but sometimes extreme times are cause for extreme measures.
If you have exhausted every avenue to try and get you out of a reading slump, if you’ve waited and waited and waited and it’s been months (not days, not even weeks), then just try to pick up a book and start reading. Now, don’t go and pick up an extremely heavy book, a huge fantasy series you’ve been eyeing, or even a genre you don’t normally read. Find a small book (less than 300 pages) that will keep your attention and is written well enough to make you feel satisfied. Some of my favorite short reads are listed here. I’m serious, though, DON’T just jump into a book if you’ve barely waited a week or a month to get back into reading. This could hurt more than it could help.
