How reading has helped me

​By Bella

It has always seemed obvious to me that if I had a chance to live thousands of lives, feel millions of experiences, why wouldn’t I take it? Because that is what reading has always meant for me- a way for me to escape the difficulties of mental health, lockdown, school, friends and just become completely absorbed in someone else’s life. 

I think in times where we feel completely overwhelmed it is easy to lose perspective and get into that cycle of “This is terrible, it will never get better, there is nothing that I can do about it,” and more often than not it links back to one fundamental problem- life is often unpredictable. As a person who would love to go back a couple of chapters or even have complete control of what is happening right at this second…

It is not possible.

I need you to understand that. No matter how many ways you put it there is always an element of your life that is going to be out of our control. I’ll give you an example of how this issue relates to something that I have experienced- I find it difficult to go out into public places because it makes my anxiety very bad. This is because I struggle with the idea that everyone that I walk past or see lives their own individual, complicated life that I have no knowledge or control over. I can’t skip forward a couple of pages and see how much effect we will have on each other's lives, if we cross paths again or if they were completely judging me; But I think the best thing that I have learnt from reading books (and this is a good one):

EVERYONE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER, INCLUDING YOU.

Everyone is caught up in their own epic highs and lows, triumphs and defeats, just as you are. So how can reading help? Because of this loss of perspective we get when things seem impossibly overwhelming, obsessed with the views and perceptions of others, it is vital that we give ourselves a chance to slow down and leave that world behind.

Books have so many different genres, stories, and people for you to explore. More often than not, there is something for everyone, but it is up to you- you have the control. I’m not saying that books are the answer to everything, but pursuing your passions in order to cope with the whirlwind of what life can be, might mean you can relax for a page in your life.

Now I feel as though I would be doing you lovely readers a disservice if I didn’t leave you with some book recommendations of my own:

• I am currently reading ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tart which is about a group of close knit college academics studying Greek, but turns into an inverted detective story narrated by the new addition, Richard Papen. As someone who loves dark academia, I am excited to see where this goes.
  
• My favourite stand alone novel is ‘Legendborn’ by Tracy Deonn. It follows the story of a girl that escapes to a residential program after the death of her mother, only to find a secret magical society. Although high fantasy, this book also gives queer and non-binary representation, as well as discussions on racism.
  
• The best series that I have read is definitely ‘Scythe’ by Neal Shustermann- it is set in a dystopian future, where natural causes of death have been eliminated, and ‘scythes’ have to fill a death quota in order to stop overpopulation. This series will make you think about yourself, technology and the world differently.
  

Have faith in yourself, and receive the love you deserve.