I never thought I’d say that. But I have. I’ve loved reading all my life. I love books, and I read them for the enjoyment of them. But lately, I’ve noticed that I often read for reasons like escapism. It’s quite true that it’s hard to draw the blurry line between “getting lost in a good book” and “I want my mind to be somewhere that isn’t reality at the moment”. But I think I’m tending more toward the latter, and maybe that isn’t the healthiest. For sure it’s healthier than harmful things like drinking too much, or drugs. But still, it isn’t probably healthy to read to lose myself.
There are definitely benefits to reading a lot. One is that I’m never bored. Another is that I always finish the book for my Book Club much faster than anyone else in our group.
I don’t let my reading get in the way of housework or any of my other responsibilities. So I’m productive and happy.
But I still feel that I should probably take a break from reading for the moment.
When I mean a break, I don’t mean that I’m going to totally quit reading. And I’ll probably continue to read non-fiction (which I don’t love the way I love fiction, so it’s not very addictive at all and I don’t read it for escapism). But I think I will have to somehow cut down on my fiction reading. Why? Because it’s not just the possibly-unhealthy reason for reading, I’m starting to suspect that I’d be more creative if I was reading less. In other words, by reading I’m only consuming creativity. I’m not producing it.
Would my brain become more productive and (most importantly to me) more creative if I cut down on reading? I suspect so. I’m going to try an experiment. I’m not sure how to do this exactly, because going cold-turkey on fiction books is probably not going to be a realistic goal. But it still needs to be enough of a cut-down that my brain will compensate for it by (hopefully) becoming more creative and I’ll actually produce more stuff. I’d like to write more, but if I instead do some other craft or pick back up on a hobby that’s great too.
So. I’ll definitely give myself the OK to read last thing at night (this seems reasonable, and if I’m tired I know I’ll happily put the book down). Should I allow myself to read at any other times too? I don’t know. I’m open to ideas and input from others.
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