Can Reading Books Help With Your Mental Health?

As Mental Health Awareness Month is fast approaching, one way you can take care of your mental health is reading books. In fact, studies have shown how beneficial reading can be for your mental health.

In fact, there's even a term for this which is called Bibliotherapy and according to verywellmind.com, here's the definition:

Bibliotherapy aims to bridge this gap by using literature to help you improve your life by providing information, support, and guidance in the form of reading books and stories.

There are many benefits of reading for your mental health, here's some benefits according to BloomSoup:

• Provides insight and perspective on personal issues
• Reduces loneliness and fosters connection
• Encourages self-awareness and emotional intelligence
• Promotes coping skills during difficult times
• Offers story-based learning
• Books can be a constant companion and lifelong teacher for you
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Offers an accessible adjunct to traditional therapy

Just a reminder, I am not a license mental health professional and I always say if you need an expert opinion to seek a professional. Bibliotherapy can be a supplement to the many ways you take care of your mental wellbeing.

And studies have shown how beneficial it can be when you start reading for your mental wellbeing. Here's some stats from Cross River Therapy:

• Avid readers were found to be 10% more likely than people who don't read to have better self-esteem. However, this is raised to 18% of people who read for 30 minutes or longer being factored in
• People reading for 30 minutes or greater stand a 27% greater chance of thinking it easier to socialize with others
• In one study involving 294 participants, examiners concluded that people occupying their time with mentally stimulating activities, such as reading, are 40% less likely to experience cognitive decline in old age
• Regular reading has been shown to lower stress levels by as much as 68%
• 50% of people that read before going to bed have better sleep than people who don't read.
• Reading can boost emotional development and career prospects by 50% to 100%

Reading is one of the ways to start taking care of your mental wellbeing especially for our younger generation. This is why it's important that underserved communities have free access to books that can help them with mental health. This is why the Library Donation Drive I started is so important. Being able to help others with being aware of their traumas, learn to heal from them and move forward can change a person's life for the better and you never know how far that person can go.

I hope you consider in making a donation, mental health is not only a taboo in AAPI culture but in most cultures and the more we can normalize this, the more we can help people heal.

Click here to make a donation

I hope you enjoy reading today's newsletter and feel free to share books that helped you with your mental health.

Sheena Yap Chan

P.S. Pre-order my upcoming book The Tao of Self Confidence. From now until launch date, when you preorder a copy of the book, you will receive a free download of my Self Talk Tape MentalTune-Up Bundle and a free digital copy my ebook of 101 Ways to Build Self-Confidence. DM me a screenshot to receive your bonuses