Can books make us happier? According to bibliotherapy and probably every book-lover on the planet, the answer is a resounding “yes”.
This can also mean that reading can help ease anxiety. Here’s how books can help people coping with anxiety disorders.
Getting lost in another world takes your mind off your anxiety.
My mental state can have a very real effect on my physical state, so the more my mind spins out of control with worry and fear, the more likely my body will follow. Reading keeps these negative thoughts at bay and allows me to focus my energy on something positive instead. Books take me to another time and another place, and for fantasy-lovers like me, reading takes me to entire other worlds. I’m able to lose myself in those universes, and for a time, I’m able to divorce my physical state of being in the real world from my mental state. This separation is an absolute relief to those who constantly feel trapped by their own negative thoughts and feelings.
Books can ground you.
Part of feeling anxious is feeling like everything is out of your control. Despite the fact that reading fiction means immersing yourself in a world that isn’t necessarily real, books can be oddly grounding for me. They are a solid, tangible thing in my hands that promise only good things. They are not threatening. They offer a sense of comfort when everything else feels like it’s spiraling.
They help you feel connected to others.
Anxiety has the nasty effect of making those who suffer from it feel terribly isolated. Books, on the other hand, connect us all together, with their characters and the lives we live through them, through the cultures and worlds we experience as we read, and with the people who love the literature as much as we do. You don’t feel so alone knowing that because of a book, you are a part of something way bigger than yourself, and others are a part of it with you.
Reading is a form of meditation.
I hate yoga. I spend the entire session inside my own head, working myself up, until all pretenses at finding my calm, happy place fly out the window. Same goes for traditional forms of meditation for me; in general, they are counterproductive and leave me feeling more anxious and, on top of everything, like I’ve failed at something. Reading, on the other hand, quiets my swirling, nagging, oppressive thoughts. Books are my happy place; reading is a solace when everything else feels scary. Settling down and diving into a good novel is the metaphorical process of wrapping oneself in a protective cocoon and shutting out all of the dangers from the outside world. It’s peaceful and calm. Most importantly, it’s safe — and anyone who deals with anxiety knows what a special and elusive thing that sense of safety can be.
