Some things are just out of your control and no matter how hard you stress over them you cannot control them. Reading books can teach you and make you realize that there are bigger and more drastic problems plaguing other people and that what you have is more than half of what most of the world population has at their expense. Books like Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles can make you appreciate what you have and value the life that you have been given. While you are reading a book, your attention is undivided and fixed on the particular storyline or character of the book, untainted by the distractions of the real
world. This can help you forget the pain or suffering or even the fatigue of your job. Reading demands energy and concentration and provides the perfect entertaining respite from the menial routine of your daily life. Reading about the Spanish Inquisition or a little girl who was unable to go to school because of Taliban will make you appreciate the story and invest yourself emotionally in it. With a book like The End Game, you can be transported to another place, time or even planet. They allow you to get lost in your imagination or dwell in the twists and turns of the enthralling storyline that requires every bit
of your attention, making you forget about the stress in your life. According to research by University of Sussex, reading a book is much more effective than taking a walk or listening to music, because they let you explore the author’s imagination and his narrative domain, while forgetting all about your own life. Although, it is merely a distraction (and a temporary one), if you engage your imagination and invest your feelings, books cannot only enhance your creativity but even stimulate your altered stage of consciousness. If you feel that the problems in your life are getting way out of your hands, then reading books, like “I Am Malala” by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai, can make you realize that what you are experiencing might just be a little hiccup, and stressing over it is not going to make that bad situation pass any faster. Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson can help you coach your stress and help you train your brain to find positivity in every situation. What I'd Say to the Martians: And Other Veiled Threats by Jack Handey is another great humorous book that reduces stress through the remedy of laughter.
22