This Is Why You Need To Get Your Nose In A Book!

Now this is a message I strongly endorse. we need to read, we need to get people reading. If our generation doesn't read just imagine what will happen to our children. It's happening already anyway. One of my professors always said our generation was doomed because we have no zeal for knowledge, no desire to read books. We need to change that trend. We can't afford to be the generation who can't find hidden secrets just because they are between the pages of a book. I told myself a while back that there is no way my children are going to get any piece of personal technology (phones, tabs, etc) until they have developed a habit of reading at least one book a week. They will read tons of paper books before they start reading any soft copies! Friends, this is why you should read: 

Benefits of cultivating a regular reading habit. 

When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook updates. If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below. 

1. Mental Stimulation 

Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. 

2. Stress Reduction 

No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms,while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax. 

3. Knowledge  

Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you'll ever face. Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you. 

4. Vocabulary Expansion 

This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. 

5. Memory Improvement 

When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough,every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that? 

6. Improved Focus and Concentration 

In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via whatsapp, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone,and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity. When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office. 

7. Better Writing Skills 

This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others.

Nigerian Writer's Hub 

Do you still need an extra reason to get your nose in a book? Even children are doing it, why can't you?


Cover image via Thesisterhoodclub.wordpress.com