THE BENEFITS OF HABITUAL READING

Ever wondered why sometimes it is easier to remember something you read than an event you actually had, or a face you saw and interacted with? This is because when you read, your brain constructs webs of memories; it’s the way the brain is wired to remember things you put into it. While reading something, your brain starts to picture them and imagine scenarios, like a photographer taking photos, your brain starts to create a web of memories that tie to one another to form a big picture at the end of everything you’ve read.

 

Like the name implies, Habitual reading simply refers to the process of reading habitually. More succinctly put, it means reading regularly or recurrently. Having a customary routine or habit of reading even in the midst of other things that might be competing for your attention.

There are several benefits that come with reading. Too many to count really. But a few prominent ones come to mind, some of which we’ll look at in the lines that follow.

Reading helps to relieve stress easily. Have you ever gotten home after a long day and felt like you couldn’t bear to go through the same tedious exercise again the next day? You probably also searched for some form of stress reliever to help you take your mind of the stress you went through, only to realize that it was deeper than you thought.

Well, a proven and recommended way to relieve stress is reading. A well written novel, a brilliant article or a moving poem, all have the power to lift your spirit and temporarily take you to a realm where things are easier and more interesting. This exercise allow you relax you mind and ease away built up tension, by the time you finish, chances are you feel a new burst of energy to approach the same exercise you had dreaded before you picked up the material to read at all.

Reading helps mental stimulation. Just like every other muscle in the body, the brain also needs constant exercise to keep it active and vibrant. Now while you can’t attempt to carry a dumbbell or do pushups in a certain way to exercise your brain, reading is a sure way of ensuring that the brain remains strong and healthy. You’ve heard the saying, “use it, or lose it.’

You develop a sharper and more focused mind. Have you ever read a mystery novel and from the very first page, you find yourself trying to solve the mystery? Did you solve it? Were you right? How did that make you feel? Reading has also been discovered to help with developing a focused and analytic mind. In today’s world where it is easy to spend five to thirty minutes faffing on twitter, Facebook or Instagram, only to return to something you were doing before and discovering that you’ve forgotten all about it and might need to start all over again. Reading not only helps you stay focused, it also keeps you thinking in the direction of what you’re reading only. This distinct skill soon becomes a part of you and you can apply same to everything else in your life.

You increase in knowledge. They say no knowledge is ever lost, and its true. But what’s truer is that everything you read contributes certain pockets of knowledge here and there in your mind. Whether you’re doing an intentional study for an exam or just reading for leisure, you never know when information from something you read could come in handy, or how what you’ve read begins to affect other aspects of your personality.

 

Other aspects like what? You might ask. Well, read on!

 

Reading expands your vocabulary. The more you read, the more words you’re exposed to, and the more words you’re exposed to, the more words you have to communicate and express yourself with. If you have a large vocabulary base, you’ll soon discover how well spoken you are and how that naturally increases your self-confidence.

Your self-esteem also shoots up when you become a habitual reader. Most times, you really don’t even realize how much you’ve gathered from reading until you’re in a conversation about the most random things and you discover that you have very valid contributions to make based off something you had come across somewhere.

 

You become a wordsmith. This follows naturally with growing your vocabulary having had access to several words from the many books you consumed over time. You never really realize it until you have to write a book, or poem, or article. Only then do you see how easily the words come to you and how good you’ve become at storytelling, all because you’ve exposed yourself to many stories before that time.

The last and probably most rewarding benefit that you could derive from reading has to be the experience of travelling and enjoying other adventures different from what you’re used to.

From reading, you can tell what it’s like to live in China even though you’ve never been. Depending on what type of material you consume, you can have the experience of a spy and feel the exhilarating rush of a person living life on the fast lane even though you do a desk job twelve hours a day, five days a week.

Reading opens you up to multiple words and scenarios for free. It’s the cheapest way to travel all around the world and learn new skills, culture and ways of life, all from the comfort of you couch.

Lastly, reading is also an instruction from God. The bible says study to show yourself approved and it also admonishes us to read the word of God in order to grow our relationship with Him.

Reading has so many benefits. Too many to count or discuss. Reading is life itself, and reading is free. You should adopt a strategy to leveraging one of the easiest ways to live a full and purposeful life.

 

Written by: A.A.Presley