four paragraphs about if you should go back and re-read a sentence or two. buddy do whatever you wanna do lol

Do whatever makes you feel like you're getting what you want out of the books you read.

Do what you want

It depends on the story and the sentence in question. There are plenty of descriptive passages in most stories that can be skimmed, but if you're missing crucial dialogue or exposition, that could lead to confusion later on. It never hurts to re-read things, though. I'm a pretty careful reader and often flip back pages to re-read passages.

I go back if I noticed I zoned out. The books I want to read will always be larger than my ability to read them so to the extent I can I just don’t worry about it. I’ll try to fully enjoy the ones I do get to.

It depends whether you lost track of a scene or you are still oriented in what's actually going on. It would not bother me if I zone out for a moment because I think it happen even unconsciously - sometimes you may be lost for a moment, but your brain follow the story anyway. Nobody has a full picture - it's impossible for human being to absorb every detail on the first attempt.

If you're this anxious about it, that might be what's distracting you in the first place. Just go back if you want to and don't if you don't. It's easy to miss things even if you catch every word in some books, just like a movie or TV show. Don't sweat it, just enjoy it. It's for you and no one else.

If you want to go back and re-read some sections because other people pointed out things you may have missed, go for it. That's all perfectly normal.

I think everyone zones out to some degree, people just do it to different levels. I understand your post though, because I used to get anxiety over the same thing and it made me not want to read at all. It goes away with time when you realize what sentences or paragraphs are more important than others. Don't be afraid to read slow, but also don't be afraid to skim over some sentences. You won't remember every sentence anyway, the important part is understanding the plot and for the reading to be enjoyable.

Doing something physically while reading or listening might help you stay focused! Sometimes with reading I need my mind and body to be activated to be able to focus. So I’ll usually fidget with something that doesn’t take much like the pop socket on the back of my phone or if I’m at my desk I’ll draw swirls on paper while reading. This doesn’t work for everyone and some will just tune into the physical task they’re doing instead but it could be worth a shot!

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I think you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. You shouldn’t be feeling any anxiety when your reading for pleasure. You can just keep going and if it turns out you missed an important detail, you can always go back later. And I wouldn’t worry about time investment. It may take you longer to get thru the book, but you shouldn’t worry about that if your reading for fun anyways. Go at your own pace.

I also zone out from time to time. I take it as a sign that the book's just boring.