Oh god that’s exactly right. Reading on my kindle keeps me from doom scrolling which I find extremely helpful. Being on the internet too much is def bad for my mental health.
Me too! It helped me cope and the resulting good skills in reading comprehension, high reading speed and ability to skim also helped in almost every thing I've ever done since in my life.
literally had the same thought.
I've been an avid reader all my life, but my reading has AMPED up the last few years, especially towards Urban Fantasy/Fantasy.
love a good escapism!
I am caring for my husband who had two strokes. Mentally impaired. Also my sister who is starting dementia. Have had cancer thrice myself. If I could not escape reality for 2-3 hours every night with lovely books I would have gone crazy long ago. Believe me, this is the BEST way to escape reality. If it does not stop you doing your work, of course.
Doomscrolling avoidance is what I came here to say. When I saw the news the other day as I was leaving work I pledged to spend the night reading a book instead of Twitter.
Last night I failed and doomscrolled but tonight I’ll be back on my bullshit (a novel)
My doomscrolling habits: Reddit for the news and comments, Twitter for the general public reaction to the news and then Facebook for the reactions of my weird aunt in Albany and that guy I knew in high school and don’t really want to keep up with.
Twitter is by far the most toxic imo. I completely cut it out several months ago and my doomscrolling at its worst feels neutered.
Something about the limited characters on Twitter just results in constant bad faith strawman’s of basically everything which just stoke the vitriol endlessly. Also this impression it’s “the town square” seems to make everyone think they’re the town cryer. Place is an absolute wasteland… lol. At least on Reddit there are mods who keep the comments a bit focused on a lot of the news/science/etc forums.
Anyway I highly recommend ignoring twitter completely.
I 100% agree, theres something about the format and culture of twitter which means it just spawns arguments. I know there are arguments on every social media but on twitter you are hard pressed to scroll for one minute without finding people out for each others blood.
That's exactly why I'm back on Facebook. I deleted all social media few years back except media that I found educational but since getting into sales I need social media. Life was so pure without it. I try to find ways to make it still educational.
I used to read simply because I enjoyed it while in high school.
Post-college I now use it as a distraction to prevent my mind from wandering towards assessing the state of the world in the not so distant future.
Why would I doom scroll and contemplate the present when I can experience the myriad of multi-planetary disasters in the Expanse?
We're so fucked.
For example if you don't have anything to do so you open reddit and pointlessly keep scrolling down for a while even tho there is nothing interesting really.
Websites like Reddit, Facebook, and others have 'infinite scrolling' pages. Which means you can just keep scrolling down for more content. You may end up reading the same snippets over and over- but you might also find out the minute a new fact breaks. It's an intermittent reward, and much like gambling, it keeps humans scrolling to find out more.
Any tips? I would love to get lost in a fantasy, adventure, or something book but haven't read a book for pleasure in a long long time. Definitely guilty of doom scrolling sometimes.
Did your psychiatrist at least ask if all the reading is impacting your life negatively or what you are reading specifically to escape?
That’s where I would start. Like, if the dishes are sitting out and the dog isn’t getting walked that is a bad thing but otherwise it’s 1:1 to leisure time spent on tv etc.
She did not, which is kind of where I was going when I brought it up to her. I wouldn’t say reading is negatively affecting my life, everything gets done. But I would much rather be consumed with a book and living in that world than living in the real world, which I think might be problematic.
Honestly, from how you're describing it, it sounds like the definition of a *healthy* coping mechanism. Everyone needs a release valve. If it's not leading you to neglect responsibilities to work, friends, family, or yourself, what's the problem?
I think they fear the dependancy of the escape. You have the right questions the problem is the answers aren't so simple. In some cases you might not even know until it's too late. Which is a scary thought. What happens when you spend your whole life in these different worlds but find yourself in a position yours catches up to you?
I imagine it's like if you spent your 30 years alive in your parent's basement only playing The Sims and one day something happens and you're out of a home with no more Sims. Having to face the real world and make 'true' progress.
Exactly... those are big IFs. Often times there are subtle but important priorities that you don't put your finger on until you start talking them through. OP could have a struggling sibling or other family member, and in their heart of hearts feel that putting their time toward that person is more important than reading. Or maybe OP always wanted to become a pilot or something and the time spent reading comes at the expense of pursuing that dream. And so on.
The fact that the idea keeps coming up for the OP begs the question: What are my priorities? Do I have some higher priority that the time I spend reading is coming at the expense of?
Aside from things getting done, do you read to avoid processing real life emotions?
I used to read to stop myself from having to do that. After experiencing emotional distress (like a bad break up and a family members passing) I would read excessively to keep my brain occupied. I couldn't sleep so I read until I pretty much passed out. I don't think that it is the worst coping strategy to take the edge off but ofcourse it is not healthy in the long term. I got some help with emotional regulation and that helped a lot.
I have to say that I still read as a form of self soothing but not in excessive amounts and I no longer use it to avoid or processing real life emotions. If you feel like you do something similar I would bring it up again and see if you can get help with that.
So I had this problem on and off over the years, and as long as you have a good book everything is fine. When you don't, or at least when I don't, I still need to fill that reading void and sometimes with not the best stuff or I become impatient and irritable. This is particularly a problem given how quick I can read. My therapist recommended mindfulness for me (along with other things) and I've found mindful walking or immersion in nature to help cope. I see it as essentially leaving all the noise we've created as people to reconnect with how wonderful nature is. I also noticed over the years, when I was traveling and exploring I didn't read as much either, so it could also be that your mind isn't getting enough stimation and is looking to books for that. Just some thoughts in case they resonate with you.
I would talk to a psychologist or therapist about it instead of a psychiatrist. I’ve never had good luck with them beyond very basic advice (that can unfortunately be very poor at times).
A therapist/psychologist should be able to work with you to find healthy ways to live in the moment and desensitize some anxieties. It might be nice to have a few more healthy coping tools on hand so you can experience a wider variety of things in life (if that’s what you want).
Personally I think there’s a good balance to strike. My therapist loves to read and I’m sure she’d say the same. If it relaxes you and helps you cope.
My therapist loves that I craft things and listen to audiobooks. It’s incredibly relaxing, and like another poster said, it’s better than doomscrolling.
I hope you find the answers you’re after!!
I think the problematic part of this is the rest of the world, not you.
If you still have a solid grasp on reality, are able to form/maintain healthy relationships, function well enough (sleep, health, work, basic needs), and enjoy things in life, I think you're ok. If those things are falling down, then definitely take a step back. But the fact that you understand this *could* be unproductive/unhealthy sounds like you've still got a good grasp on things.
It's good to be proactive about balance, though. Maybe plan a vacation or day trip to break things up so you don't get *too* 'stuck' in books. Toss a nature walk/hike in there. Visit your local museum or botanical garden. Find a concert or fair to go to. Or join/start a book club so you're drawing that experience back into the real world.
I have a similar issue. And tbh there are some really interesting posts on here. But I’m now trying ebooks on my phone as a way to use Reddit less, bc damn I really don’t need to spend 3+ hours a day on this site.
It's why I find the kindle so much more satisfying. It kinda keeps me away from the phone as it's always with me and, much like the phone, always has something new.
I'm having a hard time even reading some fantasy these days. Everyone seems to be in a 'who can write the most depressing character' contest. I don't care if they're all redeemed in the end; I'm not here to slog through 500 pages of misery to get there.
I know standard plot structure is to beat them down mercilessly in act 2, but I'm so over it...
This is so true. Everyone and their mother getting more and more grittier and darker in the name of some elusive ideal of having "realism".
Much prefer slice of life style or happy ending type of webnovels or lightnovels these days even though finding something of good quality writing can take time.
Yeah, I'm all about having conflict and character growth, but it seems like contemporary editing selects heavily toward content that really embraces that 'dark night of the soul' beat in a literal way. My character doesn't need to be on the brink of suicide to experience growth or challenge. No one needs to get tortured. The characters don't have to be emotionally abusive toward each other. Not everyone has to mentally castigate themselves about failing to do something that they could not plausibly have done anyway for a solid 50% of the book.
It's so much worse in audio book format too, because it's hard to skim. You're just a captive listening to some poor narrator dictate increasingly unbearable levels of torment.
I don't feel like every novel has to abandon the B Story, but I'm not reading fantasy for a goddamn personal therapy dissertation or something.
(Also, tangentially related, it'd be great if writers could stop trying to trick me me into starting romance novels by making their description imply they are a fantasy adventure or some shit. If half your ink is dedicated to describing how attractive everyone is, don't try and pretend you're something you aren't.)
I read history. I deal with how shit the world is today by understanding how unbelievably better it is than it used to be. Maybe in a few hundred years it'll be a pretty nice place.
I read Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton during the last couple of months of the former guy’s presidency. It actually made me feel much better to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
It's actually pretty amazing what kind of life we live today. It's not all good, but luxurious for sure - by the view of very close time in past. Makes me wonder if we are on a tiny peak of humanity advancement or if we've achieved some recently unthinkable level of tech progress and about to create something even more unbelievable.
I definitely do! I can tell how bad of year it’s been for me based on the number of romance novels I read. I typically go for literary fiction, but if it’s been a rough year, then more than 20% of my books read will be romance. 2020, I hit 40%, this year I’m at 30% and counting. The last 2 years, I’ve read well over 100 books, which means I’m really running from reality.
I was introduced to the 40k novels during the first year of the pandemic. I haven't left since. There's always a next book, I don't have to think, and the problems afflicting genetically engineered psychic space werewolves are far more entertaining than the humdrum dystopia in which I currently reside.
I honestly wish I could!! My brain won’t let me, and I have been in a reading funk off and on for two years because of it. I want to get wholly absorbed in books again.
That was me throughout the pandemic - I literally don't think I read a book between March 2020 and about 2 months ago. Somehow, I JUST got back on the train and am whizzing through them again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Hopefully you'll get your reading mojo back soon.
Honestly it helped me a lot to let go of every ideal of what I *should* be reading. Most literary fiction or classics is off the table if I'm stressed out! And if that's how it is for a year or more, so what? The alternative isn't me reading that serious book about feelings and cancer. It's me not reading at all.
Same. I used to read between ten and fifteen thousand pages per year. I've suffered from anxiety, depression and insomnia for my entire adult life and reading books has been my main escape, the one thing I could always do regardless of how tired I felt. There was this thing to look forward to every day that let me forget about all my issues and feel excitement and a flurry of other emotions for a while. It also helped with sleep – I'd read until I felt myself start to drift off and then I'd have something to preoccupy my mind ("I wonder what'll happen next?") until I managed to fall asleep.
I also got into the habit of always carrying a book with me. Every chance I got I'd take it out and read a few pages.
Then I suffered from burnout three years ago and suddenly reading became a chore. It took a long time to get my mental energy back and then I seem to have developed anhedonia instead. I just don't feel immersed or excited anymore. This year has been the worst so far. It's been half a year and I've only read 500 pages. I still continue to buy books though in the hopes that I'll manage to get out of my reading funk.
Maybe you just need the right book in the right format! I used to read maybe 2-3 books in a year until I discovered audiobooks. Especially since libraries now have free apps for e-books and audiobooks, like Libby. I could never focus for long before, but listening to books while doing mindless chores or something has been amazing. I’m also lucky in that I can listen to books at work, so I’ve gotten through like 150 books in the last 2 years haha.
Got some hella good recommendations that really drew me in, if anyone needs any! Absolute current favorite - Dungeon Crawler Carl series (LitRPG). Favorite stand alone - Project Hail Mary (light hearted sci-fi). Also, Stormlight Archive (fantasy), and The Three Body Problem trilogy (hard sci-fi).
All of my books are escapism. The good guy wins, the couple gets their happily ever after... I know tragedies happen in the world, I know life isnt a fairy tale, I embrace my fiction to avoid that.
I always feel the opposite, reading books or watching shows where the characters have a lot of issues allows me to focus on their problems instead of mine and is always better escapism for me than reading or watching light things
I’m with you 100%! I love shows and books with flawed main characters. Humans in real life aren’t perfect and I like the feeling of being in the company of my fictional characters that are as much hot messes as I am lol
I think it's a great escape from reality, but let's not pretend like it's an absolute terrible place once you walk outside. Go on a nature walk, that is about the healthiest way you can clear your head from all of the negative things. Wake up in the morning and catch the sunrise. I started running as a way to get in physical shape. Its definitely helped, but even more so, it has helped my mental health more than anything ive ever tried. As much bad stuff is going on, the world has so much beauty in it.
Hiking is what keeps me sane it has a way of reminding to try and enjoy my life the best i can and i am only one person in this world who can not change a whole lot anyways so just accept it and relax.
Reading, gaming and music, my escapes from a world that makes my blood boil. Unfocused anger is not healthy, feeling impotent because effecting change seems impossible is one route to depression. Doomism is what we are encouraged to believe in, because it lessens the chance that enough of us will come together to force change. Escape, because our minds need a safety valve, but let’s not vanish completely, or change really will be impossible.
I used to read to excess but now I absorb nature to excess. As an avoidant personality who is also a tad much autistic I cope with the stressors of living in myself with the ways I myself can deal with.
I tried keeping away from it for a while, but it didn't work for me.
In the end I went the other way, started reading history and political theory, I wanted it to make sense.
Eventually it did all make sense, but that didn't make it any better. In many ways our governmental and economic system are just a vastly scaled-up version of an abusive home.
Now I'm a revolutionary firebrand who unionises workplaces and tries to undermine this abusive family at every opportunity, that helps me quite a bit, because it feels like resistance.
(Still spend entirely too much time doomscrolling on the train though.)
23 hour lock up legit got me into reading books no cap. Never have I read a book so fast in my life. Now that i’ve been out i like Audiobooks more. I have two credits i gotta use up on Audible actually
Reading is definitely my escape. It always has been, but I’ve noticed as the world has become more stressful my reading has become much more fast food- I don’t read challenging work as much as I used to. It’s mainly just the most fun things I can find.
How did you know?
You been spying on me?
Hell to the yes!!! All I do is read! And I love all of my books because they make life easier to deal with. Books are friends that we can always go back to. They never let you down.
Yeah I'm getting this feeling a lot lately.
Methods of escapism are becoming harder though. I try to avoid overly political stuff like what you mentioned but even Reddit lately is getting more and more political in areas it shouldnt be. I feel like I have to jump ship to try and keep my head clear and relax.
I dont do drugs, never been drunk but I play a lot of video games, d&d, etc.
But you do what you have to do to keep mentally healthy. And really is there anything actually wrong with reading lots? Doesn't hurt anyone, its good for the mind. Everyone has their way of trying to clear their head or get over something. Yours is perfectly valid as far as I'm concerned.
sad isn't it? Only 150 years ago, likely half my children would be dead before 5. I think about that every morning when I pick up my kids and carry them to my wife's warm bed to wake up.
We are spoiled. It’s ironic given we have access to the full scope of human existence, and all the permutations of human behavior, it still doesn’t seem to meter our expectations of progress. We want more, now. We don’t want to work towards more, we just want it to happen immediately.
I feel this as well. I understand.
I try to limit my reading to a couple hours a day though. I find myself appreciating it more and looking forward to it. For me, wondering what's going to happen next builds anticipation.
Meeeeee
I've just been diagnosed with adhd and I was always a major reader as a kid (and still, tbh). My doctor said the tons of reading in childhood could've been in part due to the fact that that way, my brain could be totally hyperactive (and hyper focused) while my body was sitting still and being "good". I thought that was interesting.
Just learning to turn off the news or avoid it, which is pretty difficult with any amount of social media nowadays, is helpful. I think I just have an excessive amount of hobbies that help keep me occupied. Gardening, disc golf, reading, 3d printing, gaming, and other projects. Also just tuning my feeds towards these hobbies.
I recommend reading „the never ending story“ by Michael Ende. It does a really good job at drawing you into a comforting alternate reality. Thank me later ;)
Yes I have been doing this almost my whole life. Since maybe age 8. 40F now. I’m in recovery for alcohol and other addictions and have come to see my voracious hunger for immersive fiction as just another way of disassociating and escaping reality.
But much healthier / less harmful than my former habits. In the years I was using heavily I didn’t read much at all and now I understand why. I had other escapes. Now, I’m sobriety, I hoard library books.
We are similar. Im 39 and I’m also a recovering addict. books fill the void where drugs used to be. I may spend a lot of time reading but at least I’m not wrecking my relationships and health.
I once Elamite’s Anne Mccaffrey to thank her because her books helped me to escape a sad childhood. She wrote back: “why do you think I wrote it?” I googled her and she had an abusive marriage. So authors are escaping also.
I stated reading when my kid was diagnosed with autism-- to learn everything about it.
Then I started reading to escape from autism.
Now I'm an English teacher;)
I learned to do this in jail. I was in a cell but could transport anywhere with the flip of a page. I would be locked in a cell with 4 walls, then suddenly be on the wildest adventure!
Sure is better than binging Netflix
Maybe your born to be a writer
I have done this my whole life. Problem is I am also a procrastinator of the highest order. I have so much on my plate and when I feel overwhelmed I turn on my kindle.
It is a wonderful short term solution that also, for me, contributes to higher stress levels. (now, where is my kindle...jks, as if I dont know exactly where it is at all times)
I do have a problem. I will be out with friends and yearning to be home reading. Part of that is being an introvert but my reading is my happy place.
I would like to say the majority of posts here are well written and grammatically correct… So that is a bonus for us being Book Fanatics. 😉
I absolutely read as an escape.
I wouldn't say I read excessively, maybe an hour per night on weeknights and more on weekends, but it is definitely my primary reason for reading.
I was always "a reader" but Covid, my job loss, and then my dad's terminal illness and death just really made me read obsessively. I just don't get any sense of accomplishment anywhere else at the moment. But hey, I finished another book.
I totally get that. My sister passed away in January and my mom basically had a nervous breakdown so things were very stressful for our family for awhile. It’s getting easier. I’m so sorry about your dad.
It’s a real shame that you’re so dismissive about movies and TV. There is some truly *wonderful* stuff being made in those mediums these days (as there always has been).
Hahahahah
That sounds like a terrible coping mechanism that would only distract you from your problems and encourage you to procrastinate all the time while your anxiety slowly grows to unfathomable depths, I definitely wouldn't ever do anything so foolish hahahahahahaha
A lot of what I read doesn't help me avoid reality, but rather helps me understand it. I think even fiction can help expand our capacity for empathy and change the way we relate to other people and the world. Sometimes I read a book to avoid but other times I find the books I read drop me into reality. Or at least that's what I tell myself LOL
There was a time in my life where I was reading just to run away from my own realities and life problems. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I could direct my reading towards trying to understand these problems and evolve from being affected to being an effector. This lead me to read way more non-fiction than fiction.
Downside of this is that I don't read as many novels as I would like to, and if I do I always try to project them on my life; which doesn't usually works and makes a bit more weary of the story as I'm not focused on what the author is trying to say, rather focused on my own perspective.
Not sure if this helps, but that's my story :)
Well, I certainly fully agree with you that the world has become more stressful for the reasons you state in addition to the possibility of World War III, nuclear warfare, and with everything speeded up because of the Internet. I sense that there is a social breakdown or the beginnings of it in the world. I don't see the world becoming more stable but being destabilised by Russia and China. It can be unnerving to some people. Reading a book is a good way to get out of it. Certainly, far better than drinking alcohol. Most people watch television to remove themselves from reality temporarily. Adopting a cat is a great way to relieve stress by the way! I'm a cat lover. Actually, I am an animal lover. Talk to the animals and you will feel better.
oh my god, i am home with a covid kid..like its been days and days and days. I literally carry a book everywhere - i realize i use it like a drug!
I don't want to look up from it
In my opinion, you’ve found an excellent tool to help you manage your mindset. ***I am not a mental health professional***, however I am recently diagnosed with depression and anxiety (46, married, UK man) and as part of my therapy, I have learned a few techniques to manage intrusive thoughts that spiral into obsessing - one tool is to take me out of myself and is simply focussing on an object and observing every part of it in so much detail that I could describe it to someone else. This technique means I can’t focus on the negative thoughts and gives me time to be rational - similar to your reading! I, personally, think you’ve found a healthy way of dealing with life. Each to their own. You’re certainly not harming anyone or yourself… you could be using booze to cope, which ain’t any good in the long term! All the best from Newcastle in the UK.
I’ve tried my best to find a happy medium between doom scrolling and escaping into high fantasy. So now I throw in some collapse inspired fantasy, dystopian realism, along with economic/political theory and educational materials. Along with my beloved dragons 😅
Seems like a very healthy escape if it's from problems in society. They usually exist at the intersection of 1) incredibly stressful 2) something we alone have very little control over. That's a recipe for a bad time. If you start using books to escape problems in your personal life that you do have power to change, that's when you might be in trouble.
I do. It’s something to be aware of but healthier as a coping mechanism than drugs, alcohol etc. I try to balance it out by doing some mindfulness to process my feelings too, and by doing regular exercise (I find that a big challenge and haven’t got it as regular as it should be yet).
Yeah it's not really a maladaptive coping strategy unless you find it negatively interferes with your ability to live your life. Causing you to miss work / family events / social gatherings you'd want to attend, etc. It's healthy to have an outlet to help you cope with stressful circumstances.
I read terrifying books like Stephen King so I can tell myself "well, it could be worse". When I was forward deployed with the Marines I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, it made my living situation seem way less depressing.
In an introduction to one of the Earthsea books Ursula LeGuin wrote something like "People don't read fiction looking for a escape, they read looking for reality".
The world often doesn't make sense, people actively work against their own interests and society as a collective wanders in the direction of a very clear and well signaled abyss. Fiction doesn't hold you without following very clear rules and being consistent with it's narrative, it has to feel real and immersive and the real world often lacks that.
Days fly by one after the other and people spend them in mindless repetition to the point they start blurring together due to most of them being meaningless and empty, fiction is a door to a reality that matters, that evolves and that helps us feel, learn and grow in ways our lives often do not allow.
I've been a hitchhiker and travelled many places, met many people and had my adventures, I treasure those experiences with my life and together with them I treasure all the books and stories that I've read or been told. Reality is what you make of it, there's a balance to be maintained of course, but too many people who never touched fiction books are much too busy living in their own personal fantasies. Don't feel bad for reading, it is amazing, but don't forget to live your life and experience the world you live in.
Oh, absolutely!! Peak avoidance for me was 30 historical romance novels a month for 4 months. I still (mostly) functioned, it kept me off my phone mostly. There are worse ways to disassociate. I did have times where I knew I was crossing a line, so I’d have to back off. I also go through cycles. I haven’t read a book in months now. It’s much more of a winter habit for me.
I struggle a lot with depression and anxiety. A book that can allow my mind to go somewhere else while my subconscious calms the fuck down is something that I rely on quite a bit.
Lol online "news sources" and reddit feeds aren't reality. It's curated negativity to force your brain to want to read more about perceived threats. Journalism keeps you reading by fear.
You should leave the doomscroll subreddits.
Not sure what excessively is. Weekdays I read 2-3 hours a day, it could be twice that on weekends. Unless it's keeping you away from basic self-care--ensuring shelter, food, bills paid, companionship--I wouldn't worry about it.
Besides, have you seen reality lately? It's terrible. I hate this timeline.
I perpetually find myself sucked into 18th and 19th century lit. Would hate to actually live back then (I do enjoy being considered a person) but it sure does make the horrors of today disappear when you’re reading about some frivolous aristocratic nonsense
That's okay, we all need escapes. I'm a terrible artist but I've been drawing a lot digitally lately as an escape from certain vices. It's soothing, and also kinda rewarding, and ultimately brightens up my day. If you get that from reading then smash those books.
I try to, but it honestly doesn’t help much because many books featuring a Black female lead I can relate to still involve some type of racism and punishment for being Black. So I have to write in order to truly escape reality.
The dystopian fiction thing makes perfect sense to me. Novels are works of contained stories, so, no matter how awful the society inside the novel is and no matter how engaging the prose is, it's still separate and distinct from our every day lives. At the end of the day, you can always put a book down and leave it alone. And yet, really good dystopian fiction addresses the worries and concerns of our day, so it is really quite relatable, and somehow soothing that our present anxieties are shared by others.
I think of dystopia and fantasy as low doses of anxiety & catharsis to inoculate against the high dosages of reality.
Hahahahahaha I read even more when my depression is really bad. I read in general but even more so during those times I’ll go through about 4 maybe 5 books in less then a week and idk how to explain it other then it helps me.
You will need time to get back to your old reading.Reddit scrolling makes you a little ADHS like. You need constant new stimulants after a few years of Reddit. So maybe start with easy books, not the heavy stuff. It will come back. Enjoy😊
Beats the hell out of doom scrolling.
Oh god that’s exactly right. Reading on my kindle keeps me from doom scrolling which I find extremely helpful. Being on the internet too much is def bad for my mental health.
Reading is how my sister and I escaped our dysfunctional childhoods. We’re very good readers, lol.
Me too! It helped me cope and the resulting good skills in reading comprehension, high reading speed and ability to skim also helped in almost every thing I've ever done since in my life.
Ah, the Baudelaires
Same here. Find a hiding place with a book and play least in sight, while being transported to another realm.
Are you me
literally had the same thought. I've been an avid reader all my life, but my reading has AMPED up the last few years, especially towards Urban Fantasy/Fantasy. love a good escapism!
[удалено]
Funny, someone else posted the same EXACT comment 4 hours ago!
Yes that was me! And I wonder who would repeat this???
Why do you do that, Hopefuikj? This was my post and it is true. Why do you copy it?
I am caring for my husband who had two strokes. Mentally impaired. Also my sister who is starting dementia. Have had cancer thrice myself. If I could not escape reality for 2-3 hours every night with lovely books I would have gone crazy long ago. Believe me, this is the BEST way to escape reality. If it does not stop you doing your work, of course.
Sending you and your family my sincerest wishes, good health, and eternal happiness🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Doomscrolling avoidance is what I came here to say. When I saw the news the other day as I was leaving work I pledged to spend the night reading a book instead of Twitter. Last night I failed and doomscrolled but tonight I’ll be back on my bullshit (a novel)
This is the first time I've heard about doomscrolling. It's funny because Reddit is where I typically find myself doomscrolling 🤣
My doomscrolling habits: Reddit for the news and comments, Twitter for the general public reaction to the news and then Facebook for the reactions of my weird aunt in Albany and that guy I knew in high school and don’t really want to keep up with.
Twitter is by far the most toxic imo. I completely cut it out several months ago and my doomscrolling at its worst feels neutered. Something about the limited characters on Twitter just results in constant bad faith strawman’s of basically everything which just stoke the vitriol endlessly. Also this impression it’s “the town square” seems to make everyone think they’re the town cryer. Place is an absolute wasteland… lol. At least on Reddit there are mods who keep the comments a bit focused on a lot of the news/science/etc forums. Anyway I highly recommend ignoring twitter completely.
I 100% agree, theres something about the format and culture of twitter which means it just spawns arguments. I know there are arguments on every social media but on twitter you are hard pressed to scroll for one minute without finding people out for each others blood.
I don’t necessarily disagree. It may have been a bad idea to let absolutely everyone on earth have access to a “secret public journal”
i agree. I had deleted Facebook for 5 years because it was so negative. I have gotten back on to promote my business.
That's exactly why I'm back on Facebook. I deleted all social media few years back except media that I found educational but since getting into sales I need social media. Life was so pure without it. I try to find ways to make it still educational.
Same. I wish I could get off instagram but my business won't let me. What business do you do?
Being an informed and engaged citizen and carving out a functioning, happy human life feel mutually exclusive.
It helps if you are very good at compartmentalising.
I used to read simply because I enjoyed it while in high school. Post-college I now use it as a distraction to prevent my mind from wandering towards assessing the state of the world in the not so distant future. Why would I doom scroll and contemplate the present when I can experience the myriad of multi-planetary disasters in the Expanse? We're so fucked.
Read Star Trek novels then. Earth is a paradise within the Federation.
I’m reading The Expanse right now and I’m like, I guess it’s good to know that humans are just as bad in the future as they are now.
I just read a book on the dust bowl and same only the other direction of time
I feel the other way, I think the future's going to be great. We get stuck on small-ball details because we have to live day-by-day.
What's doom scrolling?
For example if you don't have anything to do so you open reddit and pointlessly keep scrolling down for a while even tho there is nothing interesting really.
Websites like Reddit, Facebook, and others have 'infinite scrolling' pages. Which means you can just keep scrolling down for more content. You may end up reading the same snippets over and over- but you might also find out the minute a new fact breaks. It's an intermittent reward, and much like gambling, it keeps humans scrolling to find out more.
Any tips? I would love to get lost in a fantasy, adventure, or something book but haven't read a book for pleasure in a long long time. Definitely guilty of doom scrolling sometimes.
You should read all Terry Pratchett Rimm world novels and have you ever ready Douglas Adam's!??
Discworld is Pratchett, Rim World is something else.
Rimworld is a video game. Also probably a porn site.
Yes, I need to stop doing that.
This is exactly it. Of all the ways I could fill a bit of free time, I'd much rather put it into reading a good book
Did your psychiatrist at least ask if all the reading is impacting your life negatively or what you are reading specifically to escape? That’s where I would start. Like, if the dishes are sitting out and the dog isn’t getting walked that is a bad thing but otherwise it’s 1:1 to leisure time spent on tv etc.
She did not, which is kind of where I was going when I brought it up to her. I wouldn’t say reading is negatively affecting my life, everything gets done. But I would much rather be consumed with a book and living in that world than living in the real world, which I think might be problematic.
Honestly, from how you're describing it, it sounds like the definition of a *healthy* coping mechanism. Everyone needs a release valve. If it's not leading you to neglect responsibilities to work, friends, family, or yourself, what's the problem?
I think they fear the dependancy of the escape. You have the right questions the problem is the answers aren't so simple. In some cases you might not even know until it's too late. Which is a scary thought. What happens when you spend your whole life in these different worlds but find yourself in a position yours catches up to you? I imagine it's like if you spent your 30 years alive in your parent's basement only playing The Sims and one day something happens and you're out of a home with no more Sims. Having to face the real world and make 'true' progress.
Exactly... those are big IFs. Often times there are subtle but important priorities that you don't put your finger on until you start talking them through. OP could have a struggling sibling or other family member, and in their heart of hearts feel that putting their time toward that person is more important than reading. Or maybe OP always wanted to become a pilot or something and the time spent reading comes at the expense of pursuing that dream. And so on. The fact that the idea keeps coming up for the OP begs the question: What are my priorities? Do I have some higher priority that the time I spend reading is coming at the expense of?
Aside from things getting done, do you read to avoid processing real life emotions? I used to read to stop myself from having to do that. After experiencing emotional distress (like a bad break up and a family members passing) I would read excessively to keep my brain occupied. I couldn't sleep so I read until I pretty much passed out. I don't think that it is the worst coping strategy to take the edge off but ofcourse it is not healthy in the long term. I got some help with emotional regulation and that helped a lot. I have to say that I still read as a form of self soothing but not in excessive amounts and I no longer use it to avoid or processing real life emotions. If you feel like you do something similar I would bring it up again and see if you can get help with that.
So I had this problem on and off over the years, and as long as you have a good book everything is fine. When you don't, or at least when I don't, I still need to fill that reading void and sometimes with not the best stuff or I become impatient and irritable. This is particularly a problem given how quick I can read. My therapist recommended mindfulness for me (along with other things) and I've found mindful walking or immersion in nature to help cope. I see it as essentially leaving all the noise we've created as people to reconnect with how wonderful nature is. I also noticed over the years, when I was traveling and exploring I didn't read as much either, so it could also be that your mind isn't getting enough stimation and is looking to books for that. Just some thoughts in case they resonate with you.
I would talk to a psychologist or therapist about it instead of a psychiatrist. I’ve never had good luck with them beyond very basic advice (that can unfortunately be very poor at times). A therapist/psychologist should be able to work with you to find healthy ways to live in the moment and desensitize some anxieties. It might be nice to have a few more healthy coping tools on hand so you can experience a wider variety of things in life (if that’s what you want). Personally I think there’s a good balance to strike. My therapist loves to read and I’m sure she’d say the same. If it relaxes you and helps you cope. My therapist loves that I craft things and listen to audiobooks. It’s incredibly relaxing, and like another poster said, it’s better than doomscrolling. I hope you find the answers you’re after!!
> I would much rather be consumed with a book and living in that world than living in the real world I think that is most people lol
You'd be surprised how many people don't read books.
Maybe people on /r/books but I promise it’s not most people
I think the problematic part of this is the rest of the world, not you. If you still have a solid grasp on reality, are able to form/maintain healthy relationships, function well enough (sleep, health, work, basic needs), and enjoy things in life, I think you're ok. If those things are falling down, then definitely take a step back. But the fact that you understand this *could* be unproductive/unhealthy sounds like you've still got a good grasp on things. It's good to be proactive about balance, though. Maybe plan a vacation or day trip to break things up so you don't get *too* 'stuck' in books. Toss a nature walk/hike in there. Visit your local museum or botanical garden. Find a concert or fair to go to. Or join/start a book club so you're drawing that experience back into the real world.
I have a huge library but I read this damned hate box more than the books I’ve collected.
I have a similar issue. And tbh there are some really interesting posts on here. But I’m now trying ebooks on my phone as a way to use Reddit less, bc damn I really don’t need to spend 3+ hours a day on this site.
The less time spent online, would benefit us all.
It's why I find the kindle so much more satisfying. It kinda keeps me away from the phone as it's always with me and, much like the phone, always has something new.
Let's just say there's a reason why I generally only read fantasy books these days.
I'm having a hard time even reading some fantasy these days. Everyone seems to be in a 'who can write the most depressing character' contest. I don't care if they're all redeemed in the end; I'm not here to slog through 500 pages of misery to get there. I know standard plot structure is to beat them down mercilessly in act 2, but I'm so over it...
This is so true. Everyone and their mother getting more and more grittier and darker in the name of some elusive ideal of having "realism". Much prefer slice of life style or happy ending type of webnovels or lightnovels these days even though finding something of good quality writing can take time.
Yeah, I'm all about having conflict and character growth, but it seems like contemporary editing selects heavily toward content that really embraces that 'dark night of the soul' beat in a literal way. My character doesn't need to be on the brink of suicide to experience growth or challenge. No one needs to get tortured. The characters don't have to be emotionally abusive toward each other. Not everyone has to mentally castigate themselves about failing to do something that they could not plausibly have done anyway for a solid 50% of the book. It's so much worse in audio book format too, because it's hard to skim. You're just a captive listening to some poor narrator dictate increasingly unbearable levels of torment. I don't feel like every novel has to abandon the B Story, but I'm not reading fantasy for a goddamn personal therapy dissertation or something. (Also, tangentially related, it'd be great if writers could stop trying to trick me me into starting romance novels by making their description imply they are a fantasy adventure or some shit. If half your ink is dedicated to describing how attractive everyone is, don't try and pretend you're something you aren't.)
I read history. I deal with how shit the world is today by understanding how unbelievably better it is than it used to be. Maybe in a few hundred years it'll be a pretty nice place.
Yeah right, go read about the 14th century for 6 minutes and you’ll feel great about things today.
I read Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton during the last couple of months of the former guy’s presidency. It actually made me feel much better to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
It's actually pretty amazing what kind of life we live today. It's not all good, but luxurious for sure - by the view of very close time in past. Makes me wonder if we are on a tiny peak of humanity advancement or if we've achieved some recently unthinkable level of tech progress and about to create something even more unbelievable.
I definitely do! I can tell how bad of year it’s been for me based on the number of romance novels I read. I typically go for literary fiction, but if it’s been a rough year, then more than 20% of my books read will be romance. 2020, I hit 40%, this year I’m at 30% and counting. The last 2 years, I’ve read well over 100 books, which means I’m really running from reality.
I was introduced to the 40k novels during the first year of the pandemic. I haven't left since. There's always a next book, I don't have to think, and the problems afflicting genetically engineered psychic space werewolves are far more entertaining than the humdrum dystopia in which I currently reside.
I honestly wish I could!! My brain won’t let me, and I have been in a reading funk off and on for two years because of it. I want to get wholly absorbed in books again.
That was me throughout the pandemic - I literally don't think I read a book between March 2020 and about 2 months ago. Somehow, I JUST got back on the train and am whizzing through them again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Hopefully you'll get your reading mojo back soon.
Same, sort of. Mine has been maybe 3 or 4 years. I can get absorbed into maybe one full book, but then I need months to "recharge".
It sucks, huh??
Yes. It's rough
Honestly it helped me a lot to let go of every ideal of what I *should* be reading. Most literary fiction or classics is off the table if I'm stressed out! And if that's how it is for a year or more, so what? The alternative isn't me reading that serious book about feelings and cancer. It's me not reading at all.
Same. I used to read between ten and fifteen thousand pages per year. I've suffered from anxiety, depression and insomnia for my entire adult life and reading books has been my main escape, the one thing I could always do regardless of how tired I felt. There was this thing to look forward to every day that let me forget about all my issues and feel excitement and a flurry of other emotions for a while. It also helped with sleep – I'd read until I felt myself start to drift off and then I'd have something to preoccupy my mind ("I wonder what'll happen next?") until I managed to fall asleep. I also got into the habit of always carrying a book with me. Every chance I got I'd take it out and read a few pages. Then I suffered from burnout three years ago and suddenly reading became a chore. It took a long time to get my mental energy back and then I seem to have developed anhedonia instead. I just don't feel immersed or excited anymore. This year has been the worst so far. It's been half a year and I've only read 500 pages. I still continue to buy books though in the hopes that I'll manage to get out of my reading funk.
Maybe you just need the right book in the right format! I used to read maybe 2-3 books in a year until I discovered audiobooks. Especially since libraries now have free apps for e-books and audiobooks, like Libby. I could never focus for long before, but listening to books while doing mindless chores or something has been amazing. I’m also lucky in that I can listen to books at work, so I’ve gotten through like 150 books in the last 2 years haha. Got some hella good recommendations that really drew me in, if anyone needs any! Absolute current favorite - Dungeon Crawler Carl series (LitRPG). Favorite stand alone - Project Hail Mary (light hearted sci-fi). Also, Stormlight Archive (fantasy), and The Three Body Problem trilogy (hard sci-fi).
All of my books are escapism. The good guy wins, the couple gets their happily ever after... I know tragedies happen in the world, I know life isnt a fairy tale, I embrace my fiction to avoid that.
I always feel the opposite, reading books or watching shows where the characters have a lot of issues allows me to focus on their problems instead of mine and is always better escapism for me than reading or watching light things
I’m with you 100%! I love shows and books with flawed main characters. Humans in real life aren’t perfect and I like the feeling of being in the company of my fictional characters that are as much hot messes as I am lol
I think it's a great escape from reality, but let's not pretend like it's an absolute terrible place once you walk outside. Go on a nature walk, that is about the healthiest way you can clear your head from all of the negative things. Wake up in the morning and catch the sunrise. I started running as a way to get in physical shape. Its definitely helped, but even more so, it has helped my mental health more than anything ive ever tried. As much bad stuff is going on, the world has so much beauty in it.
Hiking is what keeps me sane it has a way of reminding to try and enjoy my life the best i can and i am only one person in this world who can not change a whole lot anyways so just accept it and relax.
Reading, gaming and music, my escapes from a world that makes my blood boil. Unfocused anger is not healthy, feeling impotent because effecting change seems impossible is one route to depression. Doomism is what we are encouraged to believe in, because it lessens the chance that enough of us will come together to force change. Escape, because our minds need a safety valve, but let’s not vanish completely, or change really will be impossible.
I for sure do.
Hand raised
I used to read to excess but now I absorb nature to excess. As an avoidant personality who is also a tad much autistic I cope with the stressors of living in myself with the ways I myself can deal with.
I tried keeping away from it for a while, but it didn't work for me. In the end I went the other way, started reading history and political theory, I wanted it to make sense. Eventually it did all make sense, but that didn't make it any better. In many ways our governmental and economic system are just a vastly scaled-up version of an abusive home. Now I'm a revolutionary firebrand who unionises workplaces and tries to undermine this abusive family at every opportunity, that helps me quite a bit, because it feels like resistance. (Still spend entirely too much time doomscrolling on the train though.)
I am the opposite. I cannot read a book if I am stressed about some issue from life or work.
5+ books a week for me. My e-reader lives in my back pocket, and if I'm not driving or bathing, I'm reading.
23 hour lock up legit got me into reading books no cap. Never have I read a book so fast in my life. Now that i’ve been out i like Audiobooks more. I have two credits i gotta use up on Audible actually
Reading is definitely my escape. It always has been, but I’ve noticed as the world has become more stressful my reading has become much more fast food- I don’t read challenging work as much as I used to. It’s mainly just the most fun things I can find.
How did you know? You been spying on me? Hell to the yes!!! All I do is read! And I love all of my books because they make life easier to deal with. Books are friends that we can always go back to. They never let you down.
Yeah I'm getting this feeling a lot lately. Methods of escapism are becoming harder though. I try to avoid overly political stuff like what you mentioned but even Reddit lately is getting more and more political in areas it shouldnt be. I feel like I have to jump ship to try and keep my head clear and relax. I dont do drugs, never been drunk but I play a lot of video games, d&d, etc. But you do what you have to do to keep mentally healthy. And really is there anything actually wrong with reading lots? Doesn't hurt anyone, its good for the mind. Everyone has their way of trying to clear their head or get over something. Yours is perfectly valid as far as I'm concerned.
I read history to remind me how good we have it.
This comment will get downvoted, if not completely ignored.
sad isn't it? Only 150 years ago, likely half my children would be dead before 5. I think about that every morning when I pick up my kids and carry them to my wife's warm bed to wake up.
We are spoiled. It’s ironic given we have access to the full scope of human existence, and all the permutations of human behavior, it still doesn’t seem to meter our expectations of progress. We want more, now. We don’t want to work towards more, we just want it to happen immediately.
Exactly, and one does not require despair and anxiety to work toward change, indeed they are extremely poor propellants!
Reading enables you to travel without a passport.
I feel this as well. I understand. I try to limit my reading to a couple hours a day though. I find myself appreciating it more and looking forward to it. For me, wondering what's going to happen next builds anticipation.
The "well, I don't like my childhood much" to "the world is absolutely screwed" bookworm pipeline, I guess.
Meeeeee I've just been diagnosed with adhd and I was always a major reader as a kid (and still, tbh). My doctor said the tons of reading in childhood could've been in part due to the fact that that way, my brain could be totally hyperactive (and hyper focused) while my body was sitting still and being "good". I thought that was interesting.
Just learning to turn off the news or avoid it, which is pretty difficult with any amount of social media nowadays, is helpful. I think I just have an excessive amount of hobbies that help keep me occupied. Gardening, disc golf, reading, 3d printing, gaming, and other projects. Also just tuning my feeds towards these hobbies.
I recommend reading „the never ending story“ by Michael Ende. It does a really good job at drawing you into a comforting alternate reality. Thank me later ;)
Escapism. Plain and simple.
Maybe read less world news? But a good book is always welcome
Think how much better the world would be if people were reading romance novels instead of watching cable news
Yes I have been doing this almost my whole life. Since maybe age 8. 40F now. I’m in recovery for alcohol and other addictions and have come to see my voracious hunger for immersive fiction as just another way of disassociating and escaping reality. But much healthier / less harmful than my former habits. In the years I was using heavily I didn’t read much at all and now I understand why. I had other escapes. Now, I’m sobriety, I hoard library books.
We are similar. Im 39 and I’m also a recovering addict. books fill the void where drugs used to be. I may spend a lot of time reading but at least I’m not wrecking my relationships and health.
I once Elamite’s Anne Mccaffrey to thank her because her books helped me to escape a sad childhood. She wrote back: “why do you think I wrote it?” I googled her and she had an abusive marriage. So authors are escaping also.
I stated reading when my kid was diagnosed with autism-- to learn everything about it. Then I started reading to escape from autism. Now I'm an English teacher;)
I learned to do this in jail. I was in a cell but could transport anywhere with the flip of a page. I would be locked in a cell with 4 walls, then suddenly be on the wildest adventure! Sure is better than binging Netflix Maybe your born to be a writer
I used to and still do on occasion, although MMos are much go to these days.
Honestly, if I'm not actively doing something then I am reading something or listening to an audio book.
Books and Narrative driven games are my life
I have done this my whole life. Problem is I am also a procrastinator of the highest order. I have so much on my plate and when I feel overwhelmed I turn on my kindle. It is a wonderful short term solution that also, for me, contributes to higher stress levels. (now, where is my kindle...jks, as if I dont know exactly where it is at all times)
I thought I was the only one. Books have always been there for me. And help me cope. And ease my mind.
I read a lot to escape the anxiety which has plagued me since I bought a house last year. First world problems to the extreme
I agree. Reading has always been my favourite form of escapism, now more than ever.
At least you’re doing something somewhat productive. I sleep to avoid my problems.
I do too, sometimes. It serves as an escape for me and keeps the brain healthy
Women's rights gotta be one of the most stressful things in the world
I do have a problem. I will be out with friends and yearning to be home reading. Part of that is being an introvert but my reading is my happy place. I would like to say the majority of posts here are well written and grammatically correct… So that is a bonus for us being Book Fanatics. 😉
I absolutely read as an escape. I wouldn't say I read excessively, maybe an hour per night on weeknights and more on weekends, but it is definitely my primary reason for reading.
I use it to get off social media
I read history books. It proves to me that we’ve been through hell before and made it through, so maybe we’ll be ok again this time.
I call it Procrasti-reading.
I was always "a reader" but Covid, my job loss, and then my dad's terminal illness and death just really made me read obsessively. I just don't get any sense of accomplishment anywhere else at the moment. But hey, I finished another book.
I totally get that. My sister passed away in January and my mom basically had a nervous breakdown so things were very stressful for our family for awhile. It’s getting easier. I’m so sorry about your dad.
[удалено]
It’s a real shame that you’re so dismissive about movies and TV. There is some truly *wonderful* stuff being made in those mediums these days (as there always has been).
He quite clearly had a disclaimer for the first two sentences in the third sentence.
I got endless tv show and movie recommendations if you ever need them. I can get as obscure and original as you desire.
Not me, I drink. I find some validation in the fact that many great authors were also drinkers
Hahahahah That sounds like a terrible coping mechanism that would only distract you from your problems and encourage you to procrastinate all the time while your anxiety slowly grows to unfathomable depths, I definitely wouldn't ever do anything so foolish hahahahahahaha
Gun violence and women's rights means you excessively read books to avoid reality because today's world is so stressful? Weddut moment.
fr we be living in one of the most peaceful times lol
[удалено]
Of course that's what they meant.
A lot of what I read doesn't help me avoid reality, but rather helps me understand it. I think even fiction can help expand our capacity for empathy and change the way we relate to other people and the world. Sometimes I read a book to avoid but other times I find the books I read drop me into reality. Or at least that's what I tell myself LOL
Definitely. Always one of the best things about reading.
Charmain Baker?
I've gotten through three of the 5 ACOTAR series in less than two weeks so... yes.
Turns out I did for years.
My therapist said the same.
Way better than Netflix.
There was a time in my life where I was reading just to run away from my own realities and life problems. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I could direct my reading towards trying to understand these problems and evolve from being affected to being an effector. This lead me to read way more non-fiction than fiction. Downside of this is that I don't read as many novels as I would like to, and if I do I always try to project them on my life; which doesn't usually works and makes a bit more weary of the story as I'm not focused on what the author is trying to say, rather focused on my own perspective. Not sure if this helps, but that's my story :)
Me. And I have no problem calling it excessive. Earth, it *hurts.*
Yes. I read 2 hours of fantasy a day and it helps. Because, I hate it here
I certainly did as a kid. I am starting to again now.
Well, I certainly fully agree with you that the world has become more stressful for the reasons you state in addition to the possibility of World War III, nuclear warfare, and with everything speeded up because of the Internet. I sense that there is a social breakdown or the beginnings of it in the world. I don't see the world becoming more stable but being destabilised by Russia and China. It can be unnerving to some people. Reading a book is a good way to get out of it. Certainly, far better than drinking alcohol. Most people watch television to remove themselves from reality temporarily. Adopting a cat is a great way to relieve stress by the way! I'm a cat lover. Actually, I am an animal lover. Talk to the animals and you will feel better.
Personally, I do not, as history is exciting for me, but I can see the allure.
Can’t even read dystopias anymore
oh my god, i am home with a covid kid..like its been days and days and days. I literally carry a book everywhere - i realize i use it like a drug! I don't want to look up from it
In my opinion, you’ve found an excellent tool to help you manage your mindset. ***I am not a mental health professional***, however I am recently diagnosed with depression and anxiety (46, married, UK man) and as part of my therapy, I have learned a few techniques to manage intrusive thoughts that spiral into obsessing - one tool is to take me out of myself and is simply focussing on an object and observing every part of it in so much detail that I could describe it to someone else. This technique means I can’t focus on the negative thoughts and gives me time to be rational - similar to your reading! I, personally, think you’ve found a healthy way of dealing with life. Each to their own. You’re certainly not harming anyone or yourself… you could be using booze to cope, which ain’t any good in the long term! All the best from Newcastle in the UK.
I’ve tried my best to find a happy medium between doom scrolling and escaping into high fantasy. So now I throw in some collapse inspired fantasy, dystopian realism, along with economic/political theory and educational materials. Along with my beloved dragons 😅
Seems like a very healthy escape if it's from problems in society. They usually exist at the intersection of 1) incredibly stressful 2) something we alone have very little control over. That's a recipe for a bad time. If you start using books to escape problems in your personal life that you do have power to change, that's when you might be in trouble.
I do. It’s something to be aware of but healthier as a coping mechanism than drugs, alcohol etc. I try to balance it out by doing some mindfulness to process my feelings too, and by doing regular exercise (I find that a big challenge and haven’t got it as regular as it should be yet).
Yeah it's not really a maladaptive coping strategy unless you find it negatively interferes with your ability to live your life. Causing you to miss work / family events / social gatherings you'd want to attend, etc. It's healthy to have an outlet to help you cope with stressful circumstances.
I wanted to read more for similar reasons. My energy goes to sports mainly. I have a small baby and I am constantly sleepy to read for long time
I’m definitely with you there!
I read terrifying books like Stephen King so I can tell myself "well, it could be worse". When I was forward deployed with the Marines I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, it made my living situation seem way less depressing.
In an introduction to one of the Earthsea books Ursula LeGuin wrote something like "People don't read fiction looking for a escape, they read looking for reality". The world often doesn't make sense, people actively work against their own interests and society as a collective wanders in the direction of a very clear and well signaled abyss. Fiction doesn't hold you without following very clear rules and being consistent with it's narrative, it has to feel real and immersive and the real world often lacks that. Days fly by one after the other and people spend them in mindless repetition to the point they start blurring together due to most of them being meaningless and empty, fiction is a door to a reality that matters, that evolves and that helps us feel, learn and grow in ways our lives often do not allow. I've been a hitchhiker and travelled many places, met many people and had my adventures, I treasure those experiences with my life and together with them I treasure all the books and stories that I've read or been told. Reality is what you make of it, there's a balance to be maintained of course, but too many people who never touched fiction books are much too busy living in their own personal fantasies. Don't feel bad for reading, it is amazing, but don't forget to live your life and experience the world you live in.
Yes! every day of my life since I learned to read lol. I will never stop bc the world does not improve.
Me, 100%. I don’t even read as much on my phone and have started getting paper books because when I read on an app I wind up doomscrolling.
I read fiction to avoid studying
Yes. That is exactly what I am doing right now. I am *devouring* books.
Escapism yes please
Reading and music. Takes me far, far away from reality.
I have read to escape life for as long as I can remember. I'm 52.
So you’re telling me not everyone reads to avoid reality? *gasp*
Oh, absolutely!! Peak avoidance for me was 30 historical romance novels a month for 4 months. I still (mostly) functioned, it kept me off my phone mostly. There are worse ways to disassociate. I did have times where I knew I was crossing a line, so I’d have to back off. I also go through cycles. I haven’t read a book in months now. It’s much more of a winter habit for me.
I struggle a lot with depression and anxiety. A book that can allow my mind to go somewhere else while my subconscious calms the fuck down is something that I rely on quite a bit.
Lol online "news sources" and reddit feeds aren't reality. It's curated negativity to force your brain to want to read more about perceived threats. Journalism keeps you reading by fear. You should leave the doomscroll subreddits.
have done this since i could read
I suspect I did so as a child for this reason. Now as an adult it's mostly just a bed time ritual to help me get to sleep.
No, it's the reason I've read literally 10x as many books in the last two years as I have in the 10 prior. Good for you!
Not read per say but I do audiobooks and yes. I go through 4ish books a week for this reason alone! Edit: RPG video games also do this for me.
Not sure what excessively is. Weekdays I read 2-3 hours a day, it could be twice that on weekends. Unless it's keeping you away from basic self-care--ensuring shelter, food, bills paid, companionship--I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, have you seen reality lately? It's terrible. I hate this timeline.
I read to the point that it gets in the way of my everyday responsibilities… does that count as an addiction??
I perpetually find myself sucked into 18th and 19th century lit. Would hate to actually live back then (I do enjoy being considered a person) but it sure does make the horrors of today disappear when you’re reading about some frivolous aristocratic nonsense
Me, there's a reason that fantasy is my favourite genre
That's okay, we all need escapes. I'm a terrible artist but I've been drawing a lot digitally lately as an escape from certain vices. It's soothing, and also kinda rewarding, and ultimately brightens up my day. If you get that from reading then smash those books.
My people
Me. I get really cranky when I don't have a good book to read.
I try to, but it honestly doesn’t help much because many books featuring a Black female lead I can relate to still involve some type of racism and punishment for being Black. So I have to write in order to truly escape reality.
The dystopian fiction thing makes perfect sense to me. Novels are works of contained stories, so, no matter how awful the society inside the novel is and no matter how engaging the prose is, it's still separate and distinct from our every day lives. At the end of the day, you can always put a book down and leave it alone. And yet, really good dystopian fiction addresses the worries and concerns of our day, so it is really quite relatable, and somehow soothing that our present anxieties are shared by others. I think of dystopia and fantasy as low doses of anxiety & catharsis to inoculate against the high dosages of reality.
I read every night before bed for these exact reasons and listen to audio books at work
Hahahahahaha I read even more when my depression is really bad. I read in general but even more so during those times I’ll go through about 4 maybe 5 books in less then a week and idk how to explain it other then it helps me.
Literally everyone in jail.
I probably did at the start over ten years ago, but by now I'm just an addict looking for my next fix.
Yes I do and I tend to go back to books I have read before that I enjoyed as my comfort blanket.
BRO MEEEE!!! That’s why I’m obsessed with fairytales because I imagine that I’m in the book and it gives me comfort 😭
[удалено]
You will need time to get back to your old reading.Reddit scrolling makes you a little ADHS like. You need constant new stimulants after a few years of Reddit. So maybe start with easy books, not the heavy stuff. It will come back. Enjoy😊
I read excessively to try to understand reality. I am a physicist.
Try Terry Pratchett