How to Beat a Reading Slump
Practical Tips for Existential Malaise
I was going to write about vampires this week, but then my flight landed at 12:30am Monday morning, and I had to drive home. Rest assured, dear reader, I drove home VERY SAFELY, powered by a mix of righteous indignation, incandescent rage, and spite.1
Point being, I am very tired, and only have a few working neurons at the moment. Thankfully there’s one more week of Spooky Season, so we’ll talk about my much delayed Vampire Phase™️ next week.
In the meantime, maybe you, too, have struggled with reading lately like I have. Modern society isn’t great for our attention spans, or perhaps it’s the existential dread of an upcoming election, global climate collapse, endless bureaucracy, or sheer despair that’s keeping you from reading.
Unlike what capitalism would like us to believe, production cannot continue apace forever. That includes us as humans, too. We can’t keep reading, writing, or producing art at the same pace forever. That leads to burnout (which I talked about here), and while I’m not a big Bible quoter, I do think we all have our fallow periods, whether we want to admit it or not.
What to do, then, when you want to get back into reading, or any artistic hobby, really, after some time away? Below, some tried and true tips from one chaotic reader featuring photos from Charleston, South Carolina.
Read in another way
By this I mean: try audio books. Or a digital library loan. Or manga or graphic novels. Something that’s different than what you usually read.
Personally, I’m listening to The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell. I’m not great with audio books as I’m not an audio processor, but I do ok with shorter, non-fiction audio books. Points if they’re read by the author (as this one is!)
Consume other art
Much like reading in a different format can, consuming any other type of art has a way of resetting. our brains. I am currently enjoying The Legend of Vox Machina, which is a cartoon inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. I love these weirdos and will do anything to protect them.It can be anything though - an art museum, music, a puzzle. Anything that allows you to experience creativity and bring a smile to your face. What’s the point of enjoying art if it’s going to make you miserable?
Disassociate in a field for a while
I kid, but not really. Nature does help, and I didn’t want to say ‘put down your phone/stay away from screens’ again, even though we all know it’s true.
The College of Charleston. Nature has inspired poets and writers alike since the dawn of writing, and it can also be helpful to touch grass, as the youths say. Being outside has a way of putting life into perspective and clearing your head. If I, a pale, delicate little flower with skin so pale it burns at the sheer thought of a beach, can manage to go outside, you can, too.2 I believe in you.
Read what you actually want to
Personally, I can trace some of my reading slumps to forcing myself to read what I think I ‘should’ be reading versus what I actually ‘want’ to be reading. Some of this is a problem of my own making: I want to make my reading goals for 2024, so I have to read specific books. But sometimes I just want to read fun rom-coms or fantasy books and not anything so serious.Revisit a personal favorite
This has, and always will be for me, The Lord of the Rings. Specifically the Peter Jackson movies, though a 3rd grade teacher did have us watch the 80s Hobbit cartoon in class one day. That was a trip.
Where my love of elves truly began. It has become part of my own personal mythos how I first saw The Two Towers without knowing anything about it, and then read all the books, and further subjected my family to watching the movies ad nauseam for years to come. I regret nothing, and as I remind my brother frequently, he now understands so many modern memes because of me. I have the Extended Editions of the LOTR on DVD, and it is the sole reason I still own a DVD player. Have to be ready for anything.
Just because you’ve already read/watched/seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not worth revisiting. Reminding yourself of why you love a particular piece of art can inspire you to eventually try something new, or create some of your own.Do something, anything, that brings you pleasure
Truly, I mean anything. On Sunday it was: walk around in the sun, sit on a park bench and read ghost stories written by Edith Wharton and then eat ice cream. (Jeni’s, of course.) Maybe because I’m currently listening to a book about how are brains are easily tricked, it’s top of mind for me to find different ways back into the things I love. Ipso facto, do other things I love.
Start small
Maybe you only read 5 pages today. Maybe 10. Maybe it’s 4 minutes of an audiobook or a newspaper. That’s all reading, and keeping your brain in the habit of reading will eventually remind it why it is you like doing this. It helps to continue habits, even if at a bare minimum. Maintaining a routine is easier than starting a whole new one, so even if it’s small, try to keep reading.What did I miss? If you’ve got any other tips for breaking. a reading slump, let me know in the comments.
No New Books™️ Challenge
I went to a bookstore in Charleston and BOUGHT NO BOOKS. I did buy some stickers though, because I do love supporting small businesses. But no books were acquired, promise! Ask my friend Sam!
Streak to Beat: 50 days (January 1st - February 19th)
Last streak: 25 days (August 20th - September 14th)
Current streak: 34 days (September 18th - Present)
Mug Moment of the Week™️
I panicked that I wouldn’t have a Mug Moment of the Week because as I write this, I’m drinking tea out of a mug I have already featured. Fear not, dear reader, as I have a glorious guest mug to feature. Behold:
Sam and I went to Harbinger for breakfast on Saturday, and I got a Tumeric Chai Latte and it came in this BEAUT of a mug. I joked on Instagram that it was a good thing the cafe did not sell these mugs, as I 100% would have walked off with one. Within an hour, both the cafe and THREE OTHER PEOPLE messaged me to tell me these mugs were from East Fork Pottery in Asheville, North Carolina. I am so glad I have curated a friend group/community that knows their pottery so well. Asheville was heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene, so maybe I *will* be buying a mug soon.
Thanks for indulging my mini vacay pics. I’ll have vampires next week for you, I promise. Now to go sleep because I am home and don’t have to worry about JetBlue delaying my flight for utterly asinine reasons.3
And perhaps a touch of speeding.
I wore a hat extensively in Charleston for this reason. Also just great skin cancer prevention!
The reason was wind. There was no weather in Boston, or Charleston, that would have warranted that long of a delay. Even the crew was flabbergasted as to why they were delayed.
I want to note that I have a personal family history with aviation accidents, so I am all for flying safely. I just hate when billion dollar companies provide shitty service, and then get offended when you call them out on it.