Read like a stress buster

With the first golden ray of the sun illuminating our minds to the last glimmer of the moon soothing our souls, we continue to read voraciously. Reading, in its literal sense, encompasses a variety of topics, official and unofficial, electronic and print, informational and informal, etc. So it is reading that gives us stress and again healthy reading that can also act as a stress buster.

Reading books or articles of personal interest releases the burden of the mind. Fatigue or stress due to worldly things gradually fades away. If stress is considered a social epidemic disease that degenerates the body from within, then reading is that medicine to eradicate this disease. Reading is like lemon juice to get over stress hangovers. The mind feels as light as a feather getting rid of all stress and tension. Reading can take us to exotic snow-covered lands with clear blue skies or go back to the days of Kings and Queens or take a leap into the future of the robotic world. Sometimes reading can show us the way to a healthy and nutritious life, teach us a new hobby, or inspire us to do better. Reading can make us roll on the floor laughing or crying out loud. Reading can also push us into an abysmal grievance that could subsequently increase our stress level. So choosing a good book or article that takes us out of our stressful life is extremely important. In fact, I think recreational reading is the perfect antidote to stress.

From dawn to night, my eyes are busy capturing the daily newspaper, road signs and billboards, my official documents, advertising brochures, and finally my favorite novel. But of all these, it is my novel that acts as a refreshing cucumber for my eyes, squeezing out pain and stress. When I read a novel, I start to create the novel’s characters on my surreal canvas. My odyssey with the characters continues as the novel progresses. Gradually, as I go through the novel, page by page, I immerse myself in the story and become more familiar with its characters. I begin to visualize the scenes in the bio-scope of my mind. My room transforms into the land of the story and all the characters come to life exchanging their lines and I’m stuck in silence. Reading ignites the creative soul in me, free from the ties of any burden. My mind begins to wander in the beautiful ways of the imagination. My brain calms down and my irritation due to stress takes a backseat. Eventually, reality is disowned and the stress is buried deep as my date with my novel begins. This gives me a good night’s sleep and hope for a better day.

Healthy reading not only acts as a taste of the ghost of stress, but also raises our dilapidated level of concentration. In our busy schedule, instead of having healthy reading as an option, we can absorb it as a habit. Stress is as true as human existence. But we can free ourselves from unnecessary stress just by turning the page.