NEW YORK (HealthDay News)—Have you ever immersed yourself in a book and lost all sense of the time and place you are in? This is how reading can merge with mindfulness, says a neuropsychologist.
The experience can have real mental health benefits, says Dr. Samantha Henry, assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“Reading is a quiet pursuit that can be a more adaptive coping strategy than other hobbies we engage in,” she explains.
Dr. Henry points out that there is a difference between typical reading and conscious reading.
People often read with a purpose: to read a document or book in a specific time frame, with the conscious purpose of acquiring valuable knowledge.
That’s fine, but it’s different from mindful reading, which focuses only on the pleasure of reading, without a set goal, and staying fully present to understand what you’re reading.
According to Dr. Henry, you can prepare for mindful reading by practicing mindful breathing, which is taught in meditation classes.
“We can think about mindful reading the same way we think about mindful breathing, which is simply focusing on the breath,” he notes.
“Normally, when we breathe we don’t think about it because it is automatic. Traditional reading can be like this too. Try to slow down and be aware of the process that reading actually involves.”
Mindful reading is different from what Dr. Henry calls passive reading: not skimming or multitasking. It is a slow reading, focused on understanding the text and without all the distractions.
You could start a conscious reading practice focused on small passages, creating a habit of awareness of what you are reading, the specialist suggests. Paying attention to the book itself and the look, smell, and feel of the pages can also enhance the attention experience.
“Our thoughts drift all the time and mindfulness practices help redirect them back to the present moment by trying to savor what is happening.”
“Both for conscious reading and for leisure reading, one of the important elements is to reserve that time. It’s too easy to forget to do these things because we haven’t built a space for it, so try to work it into your schedule. It starts with small steps so it can be achievable and accessible.”
He adds that in today’s busy, goal-oriented world many people feel guilty for the simple pleasure of reading. “When we are children, reading is thought of as more of a leisure activity that we can participate in as a form of recreation, and it is encouraged,” he recalls. “As adults, it’s a pursuit that’s often seen as a form of escapism: People feel guilty about engaging in reading because they think about all the other things they have to do.”
But, whether they know it or not, many people read for pleasure and as a kind of mental therapy. Dr. Henry points out that studies show that people who read regularly can even reduce their risk of dementia.
Therefore, try to incorporate reading into your daily life, starting with 15 minutes a day helps. It is not necessary to set a set time to do it.
Dr. Henry emphasizes that paper books, rather than electronic versions and audiobooks, remain the best route to mindful reading. Reading on a phone means getting distracted by text messages and pop-ups, and audiobooks often encourage multitasking.
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2024-04-02 07:47:32