It is undisputed that social media has gobbled up a lot of the time we would have previously spent reading. In the past when we would settle into an armchair after dinner, or find a seat on the train, or climb into bed, we would reach for a book to relax with or to pass the time.

Now, many of us reach for our phones and begin scrolling instead. We might only intend to check our Instagram or Facebook accounts for a few minutes but before we know it, we have wasted an hour looking at inane Tik Tok videos or pictures of other people’s feet.

Social media used intentionally is not necessarily a bad thing

It can be a good way to discover new information and make connections with people we might meet up with at some point in the future. The problem is that most of us don’t approach our social media with a clear intention.

Scrolling is the equivalent to the mind-numbing comfort we get from sitting on a couch and eating a bag of potato chips. Psychologists believe the habit is causing a rise in mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

Our brains are not designed to be overloaded with flashing images, condensed pieces of information, and never-ending pings, alerts and notifications. The ability of our brains to focus is becoming seriously impaired, making it difficult to participate in activities that require more consistent concentration, like reading. 

            If social media is the culprit in your reduction of pleasurable reading time, here are some tips to break its hold on you

• When you arrive home, put your phone on top of the book you want to read. Then for the rest of the evening, wherever your phone goes, the book must go too.

• When you sit on your couch or climb into bed and you feel that urge to scroll come over you, say ‘switch’ and turn to your book instead. Immediately – and slowly – read at least five or six pages of your book. You’ll find with practice that your desire to scroll will diminish and the satisfying rewards of reading will help you rebuild your positive reading habit.

• The same goes for when you get on a train or bus, or sit down at the hairdressers, and other places that formerly offered wonderful opportunities for getting lost in a book. Instead of taking your phone out of your bag, reach for your book first and read at least two chapters.

Read first, scroll later. If your addicted brain promises you just ‘five minutes’ of scrolling before you read, then put the activities in reverse order. Read first and then spend the last five minutes of your commute or lunch break looking at your social media.

Our brain is really like a muscle that needs training

Just as it’s better to do yoga for 15 minutes every day rather than four hours on a Saturday, you will find yourself reading faster and comprehending more if you read every day, even if it is only one chapter per day to start.

Another helpful tip is to change the mode in which you read. A few years ago, audiobooks were cumbersome, consisting of boxes of several CDs and they were expensive too. Now audiobooks can be downloaded onto your phone easily and the price is on par with print books, and even cheaper if you have a subscription.

While it isn’t technically ‘reading’, listening to books still has the benefits of expanding your world view, increasing empathy through connecting with a character’s thoughts and feelings, and still requires you to go into a creative altered state where you use your imagination to picture the story as it is told to you.  

It’s also great for people whose work involves a lot of screen time, and they find they have eye strain at the end of the day. You can listen to audio books while driving, cooking or cleaning the house.

While some people love Kindle and others refuse to touch it, having the Kindle app on your device means you can download the first chapter or two of a book for free

You can get an idea of the writer’s style and approach and decide if you want to read the whole book or not. In this way you are not buying a print book and feeling compelled to read it simply because you paid for it.

You can save time and increase your enjoyment by picking books that are right for you, rather than struggling through books and decreasing your desire to keep up a reading habit.

Finally, it helps if you have a pleasant place to read

A comfortable armchair, a throw blanket and a cup of tea (or glass of wine if you prefer) will enhance the experience. One of the nicest places to read is in bed. It is a great way to unwind before sleep.

If you are one of those people who say they can’t read in bed, I hear you. A few years ago, I had so many family responsibilities, I was exhausted by the time I climbed between the sheets. My sleeping felt more like slipping into a coma and it was never really restful.

Knowing the importance of a good night’s rest, and how reading before going sleep assists that, I trained myself to be able to read in bed. Initially, I would brush my teeth and get into my nightie, and then I would sit in an armchair to read (because if I lay down, I was a goner). As soon as the sleepy feeling would start to overtake me, I would climb into bed.

I might have only managed at page at first but over time, the amount I could read gradually increased and I was able to shift to lying in bed and reading without falling to sleep immediately. Now it is one of my greatest pleasures to finish the day with a book in bed – it’s also where I get most of my reading done.

Getting back into the habit of reading regularly has many physical and mental health benefits. I hope the above tips help you rediscover the joy of it!

*Images of people reading were all found on the awesomepeoplereading Tumblr now shared on Pinterest

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