Reading Slumps Are REAL?!
If you’re a life-long book worm, like myself, then you’ve probably experienced the dreaded READING SLUMP at least once before. It’s disappointing, sad, and unfortunately inevitable for most of us. This phenomenon which has no scientific basis or social significance is actually extremely common for most readers. I find myself in a reading slump at this very moment. If you’ve ever wondered what led to these moments of disinterest towards your favorite pastime, then I may have an answer for you below and what to do during these slumps.
“Reading Slump Def: a period of general disinterest and loss of passion for reading material you would normally be interested in.”
Before jumping into the why’s and how’s, let’s first define a reading slump. Essentially, I’d define it as a period of general disinterest and loss of passion for reading material you would normally be interested in. You can’t find the incentive to become engrossed by that book you were so excited to read just weeks before. Now every time you pick up a book and read a sentence your brain just starts drifting off to that pile of laundry you need to do or that person you didn’t text back last week. You’ve probably blamed it on the book being boring or feeling too tired to read.
So what actually causes it?
1.Stress and Difficult Times
“Life was very stressful and anxiety ridden for several years, and during that time I did not read a single book”
Stressful situations, new changes, and challenging circumstances in our lives can make us lose interest in taking the time to do things for ourselves. For those of us that read for leisure you know that reading is a way to escape our hectic and not-so exciting lives for a few moments in between those pages. When there is a lot of outside noise and extra stress going on it becomes hard to find the time to focus on ourselves and justify making time to forget our problems.
I realized this was true most of the times I was in a reading slump. From the age of 6-16 I would read a book practically everyday. I devoured books daily because my life was pretty easy-going, boring, and void of the adventures that the characters I read about experienced. However, things became extremely stressful and tumultuous when my family was dealing with serious health conditions. My life was very stressful and anxiety ridden for several years, and during that time I did not read a single book. It was so disappointing, and I thought I’d never be able to regain that passion for reading again. Thankfully, I did find that passion again when my life settled back into a calm during college.
Recently going through a break-up once again made my entire desire for reading just go *poof* and disappear again. Whether it's a break up, family emergency, looking for a new job, or moving homes, your body will automatically go into fight or flight mode due to the stress on your body.
Your body doesn’t know whether you’re being chased by a grizzly bear or just juggling the day to day stress of normal life. The result will be the same because your body will automatically go into fight or flight mode in response to any stress. Do you think you could sit and read a book after running from a 100lb animal? No, so go easy on yourself when going through a really stressful time and give your body time to calm down again. Stress and turbulent times don’t last forever, so you will be able to find that time to enjoy reading again. In the meantime, those books will be right there waiting for you when you’re ready.
2. Congrats! You’ve Matured
Another possible reason you’ve found yourself in the slumps is that you’ve simply outgrown your current reading genre or style.
“your taste has grown and matured which is natural. Embrace the blossoming and evolution of your mind
”
It’s super nostalgic and kind of sad when you realize you’ve grown out of the books you’ve loved for years. On the bright side, it’s a chance to embrace how you’ve matured into better material. When I realized I’d matured from teen dramas and vampire romance to Jane Austen, Tolstoy, and the Brontes it actually felt like a major achievement. It means your taste has grown and matured which is natural. Embrace the blossoming and evolution of your mind.
So what can you do during these slumps?
Re-read your favorite books
I’ve personally never tried this, but I could see how it could work for. You can probably immediately think of that great book that kept you captivated from the first page. (Mine would be “Where the Crawdads Sing.”) You already know it’s a great book and what to expect, so why not try your favorite books to get things going again.
2. Try a different genre or poetry/short novels
This goes back to the idea that you may have just outgrown what you’ve been reading. As a teen I loved reading the Percy Jackson series, but once I reached adulthood that no longer captured my interest. Explore something different and you may find your taste has just matured. Short novels or poetry also may be easier to consume since they don’t require as much commitment as traditional novels.
3. Read in different formats
You could try audiobooks or ebooks if you’ve never done it before. I was against audiobooks for the longest because I love the feeling of holding a physical book and flipping pages, but once I tried an audiobook it became the only way I consumed books for a whole summer. Don’t knock it till you try it.
4. Give it time
As mentioned above, don’t beat yourself up during this time because you may be going through something that your mind just needs time to deal with. Maybe you will discover another passion in the meantime.
“Stress and turbulent times don’t last forever, so you will be able to find that time to enjoy reading again. ”
