A step by step guide on how to start reading (again)

Readers block. Any person who was ever obsessed with reading as a child has felt it. Or maybe everyone who ever felt like they would never be able to move on from the fantastic book series they just finished reading. Or maybe-

Just everyone who reads in general.

It happens to the best of us and although sometimes it can go by even unnoticed, reader's block can be a tedious and frustrating aspect of our lives. Especially when you have to write a book blog, or there's a book you've been dying to read but just can't seem to open. Reader's block can also have a sadness to it. If you are someone who has always loved reading it can feel alienating to not be able to enjoy that experience without your mind wandering as soon as you got past the second sentence. As someone who just went through quite a while of struggling to open a book and actually understand what I was reading instead of just blankly staring at words on the page, I think I've finally found the key to getting past reader's block, at least for me. Hopefully, this blog post proves useful to you too. 

Step 1: Pinterest it out

Ok, I'm not actually saying you should use Pinterest to get over your reader's block (although I'm sure you could totally find a way to do that if you wanted to). But you need to follow the basic rule of any aesthetic Pinterest page. Romanticize, Romanticize, Romanticize. For those not familiar with the word,  romanticize is to "think about or describe something as being better or more attractive than it really is". And although reading can be both of these things, we all know that when we're experiencing reader's block, it can definitely be hard to realize that. Romanticizing comes in all shapes and forms and really varies by person, as what may seem appealing to you can sound terribly boring to someone else. For me personally, a great way to romanticize reading is to make the surroundings around me as pretty and comfortable as possible. It's so much better to sit down and read in a clean candle-lit room than on your living room couch with your dog barking in one ear and your little brother yelling in the other. If you make this a habit you will begin to find yourself wishing you could be in your little reading spot as you go about your day and when you get there, you'll actually get a lot more reading done. Another part of romanticizing reading also depends on how you feel. There's nothing better than to sit down and read when you're in a good mindset and just had a cup of your favorite tea. Having a pre-reading routine to get your mind calmed down and put you in a good mood is crucial to ensuring you have a great reading experience. At first, it can be hard to get yourself to try these things, but if you keep doing them and power through they will pay off. Lastly, despite the first sentence of this paragraph, I promise you that if you actually do go on Pinterest and scroll down on "reading aesthetic" for a while you will end up feeling more excited to read. Trust me, it works. Whether you find yourself deciding to actually go and recreate the images of people with their tote bags full of books at a window seat in a library yourself, or just simply spend a while looking at these posts, the inspiration to read will definitely come to you. And if you are not a Pinterest person, there are many more ways to do this. Listening to someone who loves reading talk about their favorite book, finding poetry or even social media posts by avid readers on what reading means to them, etc. If you look hard enough, there will always be countless ways to get yourself hooked on a book.

Step 2: Don't be thrown off just because something isn't your style

Now that you've gotten excited about reading and have picked out a book or two there is one main thing to remember. Just because a book is bad and boring to you does not mean you are still going through your reader's block. It can be very disheartening to finally feel excited to read and then find yourself wanting to close the book by the end of chapter 1. Something we fail to realize that when this happens it's because this particular book just wasn't appealing to us, and not that we are at fault and all other books will evoke the same response. We all have books that just drain our attention at record-breaking speeds, whether it's because of the author's writing style, cliché plot, or obnoxious main character, so don't feel discouraged if you don't like the first book you try out. If this happens grab another book or 2 that seems appealing and try again. Eventually, you will find a book that clicks with you and you'll realize how in reality it wasn't your reader's block after all and just a bad book.

Step 3: Stick to what you know

And if none of these things have worked for you my final suggestion is to stick to what you know. Remember your favorite author from 2 years ago? Follow up on them and read their latest novel. That series you never finished? Go read the last part of it. That book your friend was reading that had them on the edge of their seat? Go ask them if they'll lend it to you so you can give it a try. Sticking to things you are already familiar with and reading books that you have basic background knowledge about can help you look forward to reading and not worry about being faced with a terrible book. 

Step 4: Keep going!

Lastly, once you finally see that light at the end of the tunnel, don't. stop. reading. Take advantage of your newly rediscovered passion for books and keep going. If you do this and consistently are on the lookout for new books to read that appeal to you, then congratulations.

 You've officially overcome your reader's block!

Thanks for reading!

- Fabi