yes, i feel so seen! i feel like im unable to read and do research to my full potential, just because of how exhausted i am. i feel guilty for not prioritizing an exercise of personal-knowledge-building.
this really hit home for me, i was on holiday with my friends for a week and we all arrived with multiple books each, planning to read them during this five day getaway. the most we all managed was 100 pages, a stark contrast to the week prior which had me smashing through a 300 ish page book in a single day because work was quiet. i feel very guilty that this time dedicated to relaxation wasn’t spent reading aside from a few pages before bed because it was my only alone time while everyone else was at the club.
also just to clarify i’m not saying i’m better than anyone for not going to the club, i just decided after 3 days of hard drinking and throwing up outside said club that i should probably take a break.
This is so real … I’m starting to wonder if reading has to become a more private activity for me because of the distractibility other people bring to the table? Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a ‘the girls gotta hit the club not the books on vacation’ kinda way
i totally feel this, it’s as though anyone being in the room who isn’t also silent reading makes me feel like i can’t take it on what i’m reading bc i almost feel guilty for not being in the present with said friends. finding some sort of balance between the two is defo something i’m striving for in my own life. at the same time, hobbies like reading are meant to be enjoyable but social media can often make us feel like if we aren’t ‘overconsuming’ in terms of books read that we aren’t doing it right. reading slumps suck but our ability to read doesn’t just disappear if we take a break, we just have to be kind to ourselves 🫶
this is so real. i haven’t read a book for enjoyment in so long. thank you for this perspective- i definitely need to reflect and think on why! hopefully back to reading soon.
I’m the same! I’m a bookseller, so I spend 9 hours a day talking about books. I get home from work, and I actually do want to read, but I’m so burnt out that I end up rewatching Criminal Minds for the umpteenth time instead of actually doing what I want: read!
When I was a bookseller, I found myself avoiding so many books just because I was tired of talking about them (to this day, I don't think I'll ever read Lessons in Chemistry!)
Thanks for this. Your realization of reading being the first thing to come back is beautiful. I also feel guilt when I don’t complete books knowing I’ve done more before but in my hustle and bustle when I start ignoring the noise, I tend to pick up a book first and then I’m at peace again.
"Yet I do find some comfort that even if reading is the first thing to go, in all of the additional things I could be doing with my time, it is also the first thing that comes back."
Completely loved this line; I'm going to remember this when I'm hard on myself for not reading.
really relate to this, thank you! i’ve just started reading again after being in a slump and it’s hard! i need a quiet environment to engage and by the time i finish everything and have time to read i’m far too tired
Yes to all of this. I used to feel guilty about it too, but honestly—it’s so hard to focus and really absorb fiction when you’re stressed. I end up rewatching The Office or childhood comfort movies too, so I’ve come to see it as a kind of coping or self-soothing mechanism. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s so much better not to force yourself to read when your brain just isn’t in the right space for it. Sometimes you have to empty your mind a bit—whether that’s through a film, a walk, or just some quiet—to be able to recharge and open yourself back up to a book again :)
This might seem obvious to some; however, I have found enormous satisfaction in returning to reading. For a while, I've been using scrolling through my phone as a way to calm myself after a long day of being overstimulated - it helped numb me. Previously, I had shrugged off reading during my downtime, thinking it was too active, too stimulating, and too heavy; but in the past week, when I've actively lowered my screen time and moved back to reading, I've noticed that not only can reading engross you like doomscrolling (though it might take a minute longer), I have also come out the other side feeling much less antsy.
I think one of the challenges of the past few years is somehow being tricked into thinking screen time can be relaxing in some contexts, when really the best thing is to disconnect entirely
Wow can I relate! Anytime work becomes the main priority and stress point in my life, I immediately stop reading. I totally agree with you where it feels like a disservice to the book and yourself if you’re not fully engrossed in it. Some books are very easy to give your full attention to and I’m back in that world within less than five minutes. But on the flip side, some books(a lot of new fiction) are sooo hard to get back into due to writing style, confusing plot line, etc.
The lowkey silver lining when we stop reading is that we leave that realm of consumption and the consumption of new information, and can just be. I also have a tendency to go back to watching old favorites when reading isn’t in the cards, like I just rewatched five seasons of the Jersey Shore haha. It was great!
Omg I hear you, old seasons of Below Deck hate to see me coming! But so nice to know I’m not alone in this phenomena - mental space for reading requires (or should require) a bit more than some make it out to be at times
I am so similar, I only read 7 or so books throughout all of last year because I was so busy, and reading was the hobby I pushed to the backburner. But I think it's easy to forget that reading isn't as easy as chucking on a TV show or scrolling on TikTok. I know for me, reading requires concentration. I like to take my time to soak in the words and really imagine the characters and settings in my mind. And I can never read in a busy or loud place. I have to be alone, and it has to be quiet. In comparison, putting on a tv show or scrolling usually requires no thought or concentration, and you get instantly rewarded. Reading is a slower reward.
All of this to say, please don't be too hard on yourself!! Reading less doesn't change the fact that you are still a reader :) :)
This is so true, and this is kind of what I mean in being not tough enough to push through and read when putting on a show in the background of whatever I’m doing is soothing and entertaining … but thank you, and you too girl!
i’ve felt this way so many times!! i love reading and have always used it as a comforting tool since i was a child, yet lately when i’m tired/stressed/anxious, i gravitate towards getting in bed and a) sleeping or b) watching something until i fall asleep. i definitely think it’s related to that feeling of not wanting to waste a good book on my bad mood.
yes, i feel so seen! i feel like im unable to read and do research to my full potential, just because of how exhausted i am. i feel guilty for not prioritizing an exercise of personal-knowledge-building.
Same! Feel like I would have so much more to give the world if I didn’t have to work and sleep.
this is what I've been feeling for weeks now. but I couldn't tell exactly why it was happening. your words just described it perfectly.
I am so glad this isn’t a self-invented phenomena haha
this really hit home for me, i was on holiday with my friends for a week and we all arrived with multiple books each, planning to read them during this five day getaway. the most we all managed was 100 pages, a stark contrast to the week prior which had me smashing through a 300 ish page book in a single day because work was quiet. i feel very guilty that this time dedicated to relaxation wasn’t spent reading aside from a few pages before bed because it was my only alone time while everyone else was at the club.
also just to clarify i’m not saying i’m better than anyone for not going to the club, i just decided after 3 days of hard drinking and throwing up outside said club that i should probably take a break.
This is so real … I’m starting to wonder if reading has to become a more private activity for me because of the distractibility other people bring to the table? Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a ‘the girls gotta hit the club not the books on vacation’ kinda way
i totally feel this, it’s as though anyone being in the room who isn’t also silent reading makes me feel like i can’t take it on what i’m reading bc i almost feel guilty for not being in the present with said friends. finding some sort of balance between the two is defo something i’m striving for in my own life. at the same time, hobbies like reading are meant to be enjoyable but social media can often make us feel like if we aren’t ‘overconsuming’ in terms of books read that we aren’t doing it right. reading slumps suck but our ability to read doesn’t just disappear if we take a break, we just have to be kind to ourselves 🫶
this is so real. i haven’t read a book for enjoyment in so long. thank you for this perspective- i definitely need to reflect and think on why! hopefully back to reading soon.
I’m glad this weird feeling resonates with someone else! Hope you find that book and that way back soon girl x
I’m the same! I’m a bookseller, so I spend 9 hours a day talking about books. I get home from work, and I actually do want to read, but I’m so burnt out that I end up rewatching Criminal Minds for the umpteenth time instead of actually doing what I want: read!
When I was a bookseller, I found myself avoiding so many books just because I was tired of talking about them (to this day, I don't think I'll ever read Lessons in Chemistry!)
If it’s any of the companies books of the month, my brain is addled with them and I stay away. But yes, LIC is one I’ve stayed away from as well 😂
Thanks for this. Your realization of reading being the first thing to come back is beautiful. I also feel guilt when I don’t complete books knowing I’ve done more before but in my hustle and bustle when I start ignoring the noise, I tend to pick up a book first and then I’m at peace again.
What I need to get better at is books giving me peace rather than me finding it, then going back to reading! So glad this resonated with you.
"Yet I do find some comfort that even if reading is the first thing to go, in all of the additional things I could be doing with my time, it is also the first thing that comes back."
Completely loved this line; I'm going to remember this when I'm hard on myself for not reading.
really relate to this, thank you! i’ve just started reading again after being in a slump and it’s hard! i need a quiet environment to engage and by the time i finish everything and have time to read i’m far too tired
This was me a few weeks ago - if you make it a habit or the thing that you reach for, it slowly becomes easier …
you’re right! need to get back into the habit of reading
Yes to all of this. I used to feel guilty about it too, but honestly—it’s so hard to focus and really absorb fiction when you’re stressed. I end up rewatching The Office or childhood comfort movies too, so I’ve come to see it as a kind of coping or self-soothing mechanism. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s so much better not to force yourself to read when your brain just isn’t in the right space for it. Sometimes you have to empty your mind a bit—whether that’s through a film, a walk, or just some quiet—to be able to recharge and open yourself back up to a book again :)
It is all about finding the quiet these days! Slowly but surely ...
This might seem obvious to some; however, I have found enormous satisfaction in returning to reading. For a while, I've been using scrolling through my phone as a way to calm myself after a long day of being overstimulated - it helped numb me. Previously, I had shrugged off reading during my downtime, thinking it was too active, too stimulating, and too heavy; but in the past week, when I've actively lowered my screen time and moved back to reading, I've noticed that not only can reading engross you like doomscrolling (though it might take a minute longer), I have also come out the other side feeling much less antsy.
I think one of the challenges of the past few years is somehow being tricked into thinking screen time can be relaxing in some contexts, when really the best thing is to disconnect entirely
Wow can I relate! Anytime work becomes the main priority and stress point in my life, I immediately stop reading. I totally agree with you where it feels like a disservice to the book and yourself if you’re not fully engrossed in it. Some books are very easy to give your full attention to and I’m back in that world within less than five minutes. But on the flip side, some books(a lot of new fiction) are sooo hard to get back into due to writing style, confusing plot line, etc.
The lowkey silver lining when we stop reading is that we leave that realm of consumption and the consumption of new information, and can just be. I also have a tendency to go back to watching old favorites when reading isn’t in the cards, like I just rewatched five seasons of the Jersey Shore haha. It was great!
Omg I hear you, old seasons of Below Deck hate to see me coming! But so nice to know I’m not alone in this phenomena - mental space for reading requires (or should require) a bit more than some make it out to be at times
I am so similar, I only read 7 or so books throughout all of last year because I was so busy, and reading was the hobby I pushed to the backburner. But I think it's easy to forget that reading isn't as easy as chucking on a TV show or scrolling on TikTok. I know for me, reading requires concentration. I like to take my time to soak in the words and really imagine the characters and settings in my mind. And I can never read in a busy or loud place. I have to be alone, and it has to be quiet. In comparison, putting on a tv show or scrolling usually requires no thought or concentration, and you get instantly rewarded. Reading is a slower reward.
All of this to say, please don't be too hard on yourself!! Reading less doesn't change the fact that you are still a reader :) :)
This is so true, and this is kind of what I mean in being not tough enough to push through and read when putting on a show in the background of whatever I’m doing is soothing and entertaining … but thank you, and you too girl!
I feel this so bad
i’ve felt this way so many times!! i love reading and have always used it as a comforting tool since i was a child, yet lately when i’m tired/stressed/anxious, i gravitate towards getting in bed and a) sleeping or b) watching something until i fall asleep. i definitely think it’s related to that feeling of not wanting to waste a good book on my bad mood.
Amen to the sleeping > everything … it’s not literature’s fault I’m feeling this way
this is just what i needed this week — it’s been a hard and busy and sad few days and i’ve hardly read a lick. thank you for this honest exploration!
Hang in there angel! We all reach the other side and crack it back open at our own pace
I've been feeling like this for some time now and had never stopped to think the amount of guilt i've been carrying for it. Thanks you for sharing!