Reading

Keeping your mind active your entire life is a great way to get more joy out of life. Think about the times when you haven’t felt well, either physically or mentally. Doing something to engage your mind can go a long way toward helping you feel better.

Let’s take reading a book for example. Reading an interesting book can keep you up until late in the night. It can take you away from your life temporarily and put you somewhere else. But this can go both ways. Let’s say I’m reading a Harry Potter book. Interesting? Engaging? Yes. Educational? No. But that is not your purpose for the moment. If you are in a bad mood and pick up a book you enjoy reading, it has a positive affect on the rest of your day.

On the other hand, some books can give a negative experience. There were books I read in High School that were required reading and I hated them. (I know you are thinking of some of those books right now!)

I am currently reading Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl. I have never read this book before, but I like to mix things up in my reading and experience a little history or biography once in awhile. This book has affected me in two ways. Number one, it is a little depressing. I am pushing myself to keep reading despite the fact that I am not relating very well to her at all. This is not to say that I think it is horrible reading. It’s just that I am a few days away from being 36 and she wrote in her diary as a young teenager. She is cooped up in the “Secret Annexe” and she and the others who are living there are afraid for their lives. The events surrounding the Holocaust are not exactly uplifting. However, it also has given me more of an appreciation for the freedoms I enjoy. I take many of those freedoms for granted. Most of us do. Those of us who are free, are blessed. I will keep reading this book. I am curious and when my children ask me if I have read it, I want to be able to say, “Yes”.

No matter which book I am reading, I am engaging my mind simply because I love to read. It’s also enjoyable to read self-help books. I used to be embarrassed to go to the self-help section at the book store or the library, but not anymore because if I want to help someone who better to help than myself? Reading encouraging books can truly lift your mood and inspire you to become who or what you want to become. It’s like going to school and learning exactly what you want to! Mostly the self-help books I read are the ones my husband buys about thinking big, achieving and having what you want out of life. In fact, Garr is in the process of creating his own Mindset Development Course that he wants to use to help others set goals and achieve their dreams.

I like to keep track of the books I am reading and get ideas from my friends on goodreads.com.

So the next time you are feeling down, pick up a good book. Remember, a good book is anything you would enjoy reading. Get some ideas from other people, but also don’t worry about what someone else may think about a book you are taking pleasure in.
(More next time!)