By: CHARLIE
Dear Charlie is an advice column that allows readers to ask Charlie for guidance on how to deal with problems. Whether it’s about love, friendships, or frustrations, Charlie is here to give you tips and ideas for tackling life’s everyday challenges. Readers can ask Charlie for advice through DM via our Instagram @liubknews, or anonymously through this form.
Dear reader, I see that you want to get back into the habit of reading but aren't exactly sure how to go about it. Luckily, I have a few tips that can get you back into reading in no time!
While reading can be a perfect way to relax, it can also be overwhelming. Looking at a book with a daunting number of pages, sentences with unknown words or just a complex narrative, it all can feel intimidating and it gets difficult to continue with something that you once enjoyed.
Here are some ways to get out of a reading slump:
☆Read in parts and not all at once☆
Some books can be very informative but on a mentally heavy topic. For example, I started reading, “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move,” by Sonia Shah. And while I want to learn more about our environment and what it is going through, it gets overwhelming and depressing to read about the world slowly falling apart as we speak.
So what I do is I read this book in sections: a chapter here and a chapter there. I find that those breaks help me slow down, take some time and process especially complex ideas. It makes it lighter and easier in my mind
☆Try a different genre of reading☆
You don’t have to finish a book, if it gets hard to go through it. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable. Spicing up the genre that you’re reading a lot can also be exciting. Maybe instead of reading romance novels you try a science fiction one and look at the literature from a different angle. There’s also many quizzes online, like on Buzzfeed, where you can answer questions about yourself and your preferences and they give you a book recommendation. This helps find new books inside your favorite genre as well or a book, similar to the one you already enjoyed.
☆Take a break from reading☆
Sometimes a break from reading all together is necessary because while reading can be an escape, it can also be intimidating. Taking a break from reading can allow you to come back to a book with a refreshed state of mind and can allow you to actually enjoy what you’re reading.
With these three tips hopefully you will find your love for reading once again. Happy reading, my friends!