As an avid bookworm, I have participated in the Goodreads reading challenge for the past three years now. The first year I made it a goal to read fifteen books, then twenty, but this year I made it my goal to read forty books! I wanted to truly challenge myself more than ever before and read the most books I have ever had in a single year. What are some benefits for reading for pleasure? Edutopia explains that there are five different kinds of benefits we experience while reading for pleasure: play/immersive, intellectual, social, work, and inner work. Also, “Taken together, these pleasures explain why reading promotes cognitive progress and social possibility, and even a kind of wisdom and wholeness, and, in a larger sense, the democratic project.”
Stress Relief
Reading before bed can help you unwind and relax instead of looking at your phone and scrolling through social media. Even if it is just for twenty minutes it can provide your brain a huge break, improve your sleep, provide you with more empathy, and more. Going back to stress relief, it can relieve your stress up to 68%! Combine reading with a short meditation session and you will be sound asleep in no time.
Helps Creativity
No matter what genre you are interested in, you can improve your creativity. The World Literacy Foundation says: “Reading is one of the best ways to foster imagination. The more we read, the better we can build up and expand our knowledge. We can be open to new ideas and have an understanding of new things.” This can help us with our work performance, hobbies, and overall personal development. If you are new to the world of reading, take this time to participate in genres you wouldn’t normally go for.
Reading Challenges to Look Into
Something that you can keep in mind when starting your reading journey is starting a reading challenge! Popsugar released their 2022 reading challenge including a book published in 2022, a book with a recipe in it, and a book with a Latinx author. There are so many options to choose from in the world of books! BookRiot also has a reading challenge that you can find here! So get to reading and tell us your favorite book!
