S1E3 Mindful Monday - Disengagement: Reading is most effective for stress
When you pick up a book and open it when are you are allowing yourself to disengage from the ugly world we live in. You are, in your own world, distracting yourself from all your troubles and stress. It is a little like meditation, you allow yourself some time.
I think of my writing as therapy for me. It allows me to shut all the crap that is going around me to explore the world through the eyes of others. I can explore the world as though I was walking in the footsteps of each of the characters in more stories. This is a very good distraction and works well.
It is widely believed that reading even relaxes your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles.
According to one study, reading books could extend lifespan by up to 2 years, and the more often you read, the better. [1] In this study, the baseline was based on all participant's self-reported reading habits over 12 years. This might not be conclusive, an earlier study revealed that reading boosts brain cell activity. [2]
In 2009, a study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. What caught my interest was that the study’s co-author Dr David Lewis, a neuropsychologist at Mindlab International at Sussex, found that participants who engaged in just 6 minutes of reading experienced a slowed heart rate and reduced muscle tension.
When I started Project Lemon Zest, I wanted to write short stories to provide a 5-minute escape. To this end, I started with a 900-word plan structure. When I read this article, I decide to switch up to 1,200 word short stories, which offers a reading time of 5 - 6 minutes.
Now, I am experimenting with extended stories that are broken down into 3, 6, or 12 parts. Each part a story in its own right, but together a trilogy, six-part series, or a novelette, respectively.
In my new book, Lemondemic, I wrote my first detective trilogy (Belonging, Agenda, Ambivalence). This saw existing characters, DCI Chance and Sergeant Ward, tackle a very complex and confusing case where DNA added to the mystery surrounding a brutal murder.
My goal is to encourage more people to read for 6 minutes a day. It’s healthy and could extend your life. If all I achieve is to raise a smile or two then I will be content too. I wonder if spending 1 - 2 hours a day writing fiction has the same effect?
Lemondemic (Book 3) available, direct, on Amazon Paperback Link: https://amzn.to/3lBwosh
References:
[1] Reading books could increase lifespan, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312167
[2] Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain, Gregory S. Berns, Kristina Blaine, Michael J. Prietula, and Brandon E. Pye Published Online:9 Dec 2013https://doi.org/10.1089/brain.2013.0166
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