Started reading again at 23 and it’s helped my mental health

Submitted by Sleepy_Like_Me t3_ywv7ap in books

Well I don’t know if this fits here but here goes:

About a month ago I was not in a good place. I was depressed and, among other things, constantly comparing myself to others, scrolling on social media all day.

I had an epiphany late one night that what I’m doing is not natural, at all. Even just 10 years ago, no one felt the way us young people do today. no one was spending 6 hours a day on instagram, faking their whole life in order to have a certain appearance to strangers, feeling a crushing sense of FOMO and hopelessness by watching other people’s “perfect” lives, or watching these extremely toxic TikToks that make you lose faith in the world and, if you’re a guy, watching girls use angles and filters to make you feel like you’re missing out on girls that don’t really exist.

The older I get the more I realize how artificial all of this is, and how a lot of people are literally being turned into technology addicts.

I have also learned that ignorance is bliss.

What I mean by that is the older I get, the more I realize that I want my life to only consist of what I experience, what I see every day, not the depressing news bits or impossible bodies that I see on my little pocket window. That is how we were meant to live and have lived our whole lives up until 10ish years ago. So, I decided to find something else to take up my spare moments.

I always liked reading but now that I’m out of college I can finally do it again for fun. And it’s changed my life.

Now I open a book when I have free time and it’s infinitely more rewarding. I’d rather live in the worlds in books than the social media world. I find that I can draw parallels to real life from books and have even learned how to be a better person from characters in books, which is insane and something I never got from social media.

My world just feels more pleasant now. I still use social media, but I don’t use it to escape.

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puckstar92 t1_iwliv83 wrote

I’m so glad this has helped you too. I had a similar experience back in March. Used to love to read but school beat it out of me. Since March I’ve read 13 books and still going. I look forward to reading before bed every night, and my sleep has gotten much better. Happy to hear reading has positively impacted you as well :)

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Prestigious_Bank7946 t1_iwp3ywc wrote

This is something that we don't hear regularly "reading has improved sleep." This is unique. I have heard many times that listening to meditation music helps in sleeping but this was very unique. Thank you for inspiring

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puckstar92 t1_iwpq8gv wrote

No problem! To be a bit more specific, I only read hard copies of books, and no blue light for at least a half hour before bed. Getting a library card was the best decision I’ve made in a long time.

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Notequal_exe t1_iwltxwo wrote

Messed up world we live in yeah? And I imagine the content you get from books will be way more fulfilling than most tik toks. I've been finding the same thing in my early 20s here.

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Sleepy_Like_Me OP t1_iwlvycg wrote

Yes exactly. Young people are more lost and insecure than ever. Logging into TikTok or instagram after a break feels like entering an extremely anxious version of the twilight zone. Yet everyone is addicted to the misery.

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mcds99 t1_iwlx11y wrote

Reading is the best mental exercise we can do, it doesn't matter what you read. I have to stop myself sometimes (11:30pm how'd it get that late). But it's such an easy way to get away from the day to day grind. Reading refocuses the brain and stirs the imagination.

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[deleted] t1_iwoibeu wrote

[deleted]

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Radioactivocalypse t1_iwp6sz8 wrote

Try Midnight Library, it's a good book, but more than that it relates very well to your current situation and should help

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pedantichonky t1_iwop6v8 wrote

I wrote an article about the importance of reading. If anyone is interested in checking it out, here's the link.

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amespencer t1_iwr3zsc wrote

It's so nice to know that there are people out there who feel the same way. After discovering a lot of different mediums that aren't social media, I enjoy spending time doing those things instead of endlessly doomscrolling on platforms.

Glad you've picked books as your medium! :D

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Sleepy_Like_Me OP t1_iwr55in wrote

Haha I love that word doomscrolling. That’s exactly what it is. We are addicted to the miserable headlines. I’m still guilty of it but not as bad as some

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clairebitch t1_iwmou1l wrote

23 also and broke my reading slump at the end of last year, I haven’t been able to put down a book since. I infinitely enjoy my free time more spent reading than on the internet doom scrolling. So glad I picked it up again!

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NewDamage31 t1_iwn42c8 wrote

Same here but I am 33 lol

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Enya_Rose t1_iwrfs1w wrote

I'm 24 and for some reason, I just needed to hear this. Yes, I draw and write stories and write in journals, but when I was younger, when I wasn't writing a story with my childhood best friend, I was reading for hours. I haven't done that in a while, despite me being an English major. Sure I read for school and work, but I haven't done it for myself. I guess I am trying to say this is my wake-up call to get offline and go read that huge stack of books I have near my bed. Thanks, OP for this, and I am so glad books have helped your mental health and have helped you become a better person.

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tysontysontyson1 t1_iwlkp2v wrote

Glad to see you had this epiphany. I’ve been a huge reader since I was a kid. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of waking up early and having the house to myself and just reading for a few hours in peace. I still read whenever I have any downtime, at home or even if I’m out somewhere. I can’t really imagine my life without books.

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Aware-Mammoth-6939 t1_iwm2ugi wrote

Excited for you. 23 and 24 were my favorite years of my life I think. It’s also the age I started reading more fucked up literature. And that’s pretty much what I read now.

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Secty t1_iwm55xr wrote

You discovered what it took me a good more few years to work out. Awesome

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ayouremq t1_iwmqany wrote

It really helps me too especially through mid life crisis.

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CasseyZzZs t1_iwoxdyw wrote

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way and it's nice to see people with a similar experience.

I stopped reading when I hit college and I realized I became a "doom scroller". There was no satisfaction in seeing social media anymore, so I thought I'd read books again when I started working.

Now I can't be seen without a book in my hands on the subway or a book on my office desk. It has become easier to sleep, too.

Hope you continue to thrive of the power of books as we all do :)

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ComicsNBigBooks t1_iwpad1s wrote

Glad to hear it. I deleted all my personal social media accounts back in March (for similar mental health reasons and others) and have managed to read more than I have in years. Sure, sometimes I feel like I'm "missing out," but I'm really not. Also, I'm 29. :-)

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Prestigious_Bank7946 t1_iwpbdgv wrote

I too am very fond of books but when it comes to reading I feel scared looking at the tough English words which I am unable to understand 🥺

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lilly288 t1_iws2qkb wrote

So true!! I'm very happy you've gotten some peace and happiness from reading again. I'm 22 and had a similar experience with getting back into reading again. More time reading = less time on social media. Truly feel reading has done wonders for my mental health, as well as my sleep! I've got my body trained to where I can read a chapter or two in bed before falling asleep easily. If I want to actually make progress gotta sit on the couch lol!

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RandoUser81 t1_ix19uru wrote

god damn, i wish i'd been as smart as you are at 23

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Sleepy_Like_Me OP t1_ix50wfs wrote

Hahah what do u mean?

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RandoUser81 t1_ixzu8fh wrote

well, having a realization like this at your young age means that you're in a position to feel much better than most people from this point forward. i'm almost (but not quite!) twice your age and it was only about a year ago that i had a similar epiphany about the importance of living life in the real world. i stopped reading the news, got off of all social media (except for a handful of subreddits), and started to focus on dealing with what actually enters my life. i'm much better off for it.

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Sleepy_Like_Me OP t1_iy09tj0 wrote

Thanks for that. Part of me thinks I’m behind other people in my thinking, but another part of me thinks I’m ahead? Idk

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