Week #2: Reading For 30 Minutes (Part 3)

Hello blog! I ended my week of this healthy-habit by continuing to read The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris and Steven Hayes. For the past couple of days, I have been reading right before bed. I have been finishing my homework, showering, catching up on social media, and then reading for thirty minutes until I fall asleep! I am really enjoying this book so far and I plan to continue reading it!

Conclusion:

Overall, I really enjoyed having cut out time to read each day! Typically, the only novels I read are required for school, so reading them feels more like homework than something I would do for enjoyment. Since I read this book for myself, I found that I enjoyed it so much more. It was so relieving to know that I could read at my own pace and not have to do a report on it after! I did notice that in the beginning of my reading sessions, it was a little difficult for me to focus, but towards the end, I really enjoyed how relaxing it was. Normally before I go to bed, I go on Snapchat, Instagram, or Tiktok. It was really refreshing to put my phone away and fall asleep reading instead. I noticed that I fell asleep much faster and that I did not feel my eyes straining as much, most likely because there was no blue light. I also noticed that reading took my mind off of everything else that was causing me stress or making me anxious. My reading session became something that I actually looked forward to because I felt that it was an escape for my mind after a long, stressful day.

Effect On Mental Wellness: 6.5/10

I do feel that while reading, I was very calm and relaxed. I also think that reading relieved a lot of my stress and took my mind off things, which definitely helped improve my mental wellness. However, this healthy-habit only effected me while I was reading. The calming effect of reading was only present while completing the actual task itself. Therefore, throughout the day, the effects of this healthy-habit were not present. I do think that reading is a very good way to relax and take your mind off of what is making you anxious, but this will only work for the time being. Since I can not be reading all the time, it is not a very effective way to improve mental wellness as a whole.