The Reader’s Burnout

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It’s easy to feel disconnected from a hobby you feel passionate about. This is especially true in today’s world, where life seems like to be running at a pace that feels impossible to catch up to. For a lot of people, that passion is felt for reading. You used to sit on your bed for hours on end and nobody could make you budge until you were done. Books, stories and pages were things we used to be utterly engrossed in, but now find ourselves struggling to step into. The excitement that came from finishing a book and getting ready to start the next on our lists has turned into a feeling that we now long to get back.

The Reader’s Burnout — What is it?
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Anyone that has ever taken up reading as a hobby has experienced it. That moment where you just can’t seem to get past the first ten pages of a book, no matter how hard you try. You decide to get back to it in a few hours. Hours turn into days and days turn into weeks — you just can’t seem to bring yourself to pick it up again. Even if you do, chances are, you’re going to put it back down and repeat the cycle. Nothing seems interesting enough, and nothing can grab your attention like it used to. This is what we’d call the reader’s burnout or the reader’s slump. It’s frustrating at best and demotivating at worst.

Why Does It Happen?
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Usually, it doesn’t matter how dedicated or enthusiastic of a reader you are — a slump can happen to the best of us. Maybe it’s because the previous book set the standard so high, nothing else matches up to it. Or, maybe it’s because it was so bad, you’re convinced every other piece of literature is going to be just like it. For a lot of people, it happens because their attention has instead been consumed by social media or film and TV.

Of course, it’s completely possible that you’re not in a place where you can be invested in a hobby that demands so much of your time and energy. A lot of the time, life happens. It’s fast-paced, it’s demanding and most of all, it wears you out. While it’s true that nobody should give up on the hobbies that make them happy, it isn’t worth beating yourself up over.

Overcoming the Reader’s Guilt
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The most important thing to remember when dealing with a reading slump is that … it’s okay. Nobody needs to be giving their all in everything they do all the time. Many people like to say otherwise — that reading is good, that reading is something that makes you smarter and that you’re lazy if you give up on it. It’s hard not to believe these things but it’s more important to go easy on yourself.

Whatever the reason for your burnout may be, all that’s important to do is make sure your passion for the hobby stays put. Reading shouldn’t feel like a chore, especially not when you know it’s something you genuinely enjoy. If starts to feel like one, maybe putting down the book is the best thing you could do.

Taking a break from a hobby you love is, in all honesty, fine. You can always get yourself back into it — there are a million different ways to do that and at least one of them will probably work. Try reading a book everyone’s talking about, try making friends who are also readers or try re-reading a favorite book that evokes nostalgia in you. Remind yourself why reading was something you loved in the first place.

Tag us @VALLEYmag on Instagram or Twitter, and tell us if you’ve ever experienced reader’s burnout!

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