Readers are healthier, is it?

Yes, book lovers rejoice, it’s been scientifically proven that reading is good for your health! Not only is it fun and gives you pleasure in the present, you are actually building up on your mental health too!

Reading helps improve your memory, as it stimulates different parts of your brain to work, and hence can help prevent Alzheimer’s. Reading is also therapeutic, as it takes one away from one’s worries, reducing stress. Reading a good book can actually make one feel positive and inspired too.

Reading fiction has proven to make people more empathetic and also enhance one’s emotional intelligence. And yes, we are talking books here, not newspapers, magazines, blogs or WhatsApp! Not that they are not useful, but reading books is ‘reading’! Want ideas how to get into real reading? Well read on!

Always carry your book
Like your wallet, let your book be with you and whenever there is a wait time – read the book!

Make a list
Jot down at least 10 books that you would like to read. The pleasure of ticking after reading them is something that needs to be experienced.

Get the book!
Well, obviously that’s the first step! If you haven’t been into reading, then get a slim book to begin with. No comics please! Ensure you get a title that interests you – fiction or non-fiction. Slowly and steadily start increasing the size of your books.

Join a book club or start one!
This ensures that you read as you are answerable to a group. It also opens up different perspectives, as each person will view the same book differently! If a group isn’t possible, maybe this could be an activity you could do with a friend, relative or your spouse, wherein you decide on a book, set a deadline and have a discussion once over.

Join a library
That’s a great way to start. It’s good for the environment and your pocket too. Also it’s best to feel the book, see it, read the blurb and then take it up. Online shopping doesn’t give you that privilege.

Read as a family or to your children
This could be a before dinner or after dinner routine. A lovely way to embark on some discussions too.

Set up a time
Analyse your daily schedule and see how you can seep in the reading time. This could be 3 or 4 times of 10 minutes of reading a day, or reading at a stretch. You could also set a target – like you will read 25 pages a day!