4 Ways To Become a Calm Person While Maintaining a Reading Habit
Do right by your reading habits.
Reading is the same as trying to lose weight.
Every day, when you wake up and check your weight: nothing’s changed. You get upset.
Things only happen when you stop thinking about the outcome and enjoy the process.
Reading a book to become a calm person is *selfish.*
A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading reduced stress levels by 68 percent. However, reading also provides other benefits, such as:
- Reduced stress
- Less anxiety
- Motivation
Improvements do not happen in a day. It takes years to become a definite calm reader.
Reading allows you to soothe your brain and calm your nerves, but it takes time. Reading has to be tested and applied throughout your daily life to find calmness.
Below are 4 habits you can use to become calm through reading. Let’s get started.
1. Note down lots of information
Our brains can process little information every day.
According to thefastcompany.com:
“During our leisure time, not counting work, each of us processes 34 gigabytes, or 100,000 words, every day.”
Reading a book means learning 300+ words on each page. It’s challenging to process.
For that, keep a diary with you when you’re reading. Open your journal and make 4 sections, naming:
- Vocabulary
- Motivation advice
- Website, hack, or toolkit
- Important information
After that, whenever you come across adequate information, mince it in the available categories.
This will allow your mind to register words that you read. Also, having a backup in a notebook lets you remember you preserved the vital information.
2. Keep a bottle of water
Liveleemental.com wrote:
“Water allows your brain to function better.”
Healthy hydration regulates blood flow and oxygen. This leads to an increase in concentration and focus. Having a bottle of water by your side every time you read a book is a plus. Whenever your mind wanders, drink the water.
Keep yourself hydrated while reading.
Drinking lots of water means taking a break every 20 minutes. The amount of water you drink affects your urinal tract.
This means drinking water provides you with a natural way to:
- Concentrate: drink water and concentrate on your learning.
- Take breaks: when the urinal tract calls, take breaks from reading. Avoid sitting for longer.
- Avoid hunger: drinking water helps you bypass the feeling of hunger.
- Become calm: stay connected to natural elements, feed on water, and breathe air while reading to keep you steady.
3. Keep the door closed
No one can know you’re reading.
You can become angry when people disturb you. To avoid that, here are a few things I always do:
- Read early morning: I sometimes wake up at 3 am and read books. When every one sleeps, my reading becomes majestic.
- Phony meeting: if it’s your kids or your family, mock a meeting. Tell them to keep quiet as much as possible.
- Fake illness: covid helped me to keep a safe distance. Use the contagious illness tactic to drive people out of your room.
These 3 pieces of advice will help you to keep a closed door.
Your reading shouldn’t be in between tasks. Reading because you’re bored isn’t right. Make time for your reading when you’re done with your work. Prioritize it.
For example, choose a night time after completing your chores. Turn your cell phone into sleep mode or wake up early in the morning to read before having breakfast.
Prioritize it!
4. Scream into people’s ears
An excellent way to become calm is to know you’re calm.
An excellent way to know you’re calm is to acknowledge it.
How can you acknowledge this? Write.
Writing helps acknowledge and affirm. Whenever you complete a book, do these:
- Write a summary: note down the valuable points and make a summary.
- Review it: go to Goodreads and post a lovely review.
- Make it a celebration: download the book tracking template and tick it off when you complete the book.
Ticking off is a very satisfying task.
Writing a summary (example of summary) and ticking off a book challenge template is an achievement. For every book I read, I get to write on the template.
This will help you acknowledge.
When you try to remember a thing, your brain registers it. Let your brain know you’re improving, becoming calm, and changing daily.
Your brain deserves the truth!
Final thoughts:
Reading is not a low-end task.
It’s the essential one connected to many benefits at once. Some are: calmness, information, experience, proficiency, etc.
You can get all the benefits in a single book if you want.
You just have to do right by your reading habit.
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