Are You Feeling Reading Burnout?
Have you been in a reading slump where you’re not sure what you want to read? Do you browse for a book and feel like nothing sounds interesting? If so, you might be experiencing some reading burnout. This can happen to anyone, especially if you’re an avid reader. This has happened to me many times in my life, so I’d like to share some tips on how you can help pick yourself up and enjoy reading again. Hopefully they are helpful.
1. Read a short book or a book with a light hearted story.
Give yourself a break from reading heavy, deep, thought provoking stories. Those kinds of books require a lot of brain energy and can cause mental fatigue. Burnout can be due to stress or busy schedules and hectic life events. Your brain might need a mental break while it processes everything else going on. Picking up a light hearted, easy, and quick to read book might help your brain relax and enjoy the story. Once your life has calmed down and your motivation to read has returned, you can once again choose a more thought provoking and challenging read.
Suggestions for light reads: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearn and Delilah S Dawson, Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson, and Why Odin Drinks by Bjørn Larssen
2. Read Something From an Author You Know and Love
Familiarity and pre-established expectations can help deal with burnout. Since you already know you like books from a particular author, you will know the quality you will get from your chosen book. Motivation to read can be increased when you have the expectation that you will like the story even if you haven’t read it yet. Sometimes burnout can happen when we have read too many average books and feel like the next book we read will also be less than we hope it to be. So, picking a book you haven’t read from an author you enjoy will raise your chances of picking a book you’ll really enjoy. Plus, you can easily decide what style or topic you feel like reading since you know what kind of stories that author writes.
3. Reread a Book or Series You Already Love
A good way to combat burnout is to remind yourself why you love to read so much. How do you do that? You simply reread a book that you absolutely love. It will easily help you dive into the story and get you excited about reading again. There will be no surprises or wondering if it will be any good. Instead, it will be like coming back to an old friend. You already know you’ll enjoy it. You can revisit beloved characters. You can immerse yourself in a world you know is interesting and exciting. Rereading can even help you catch things or details you didn’t notice before and deepen your love and understanding of the story. After you finish reading the book, or the series, you might feel refreshed and excited to explore new books again to hopefully find the next amazing book or series.
4. Read a Little Less
There is no shame in reading fewer days a week. Maybe you just need a break. Reading is a mental activity and maybe your brain cannot handle more mental work or stimulation. If you find you’re thinking too much and too hard, it may mean you need to find other activities that require less mental effort. Instead of reading every day, you can take a step back to three times a week. Or if you only read three times a week, try only one day. Give your mind some space and eventually you’ll feel yourself wanting to pick up your book more often once your mind is able to focus on it again.
5. Try a New or Different Genre
Another reason you might be feeling burnout could relate to boredom. If you’ve been reading the same kind of books for too many books in a row, you could be bored of reading stories that are so similar. It might feel refreshed if you try a different kind of book. This could mean a vastly different genre, like fantasy to mystery. This could also mean a small shift in genre, from urban fantasy to high fantasy. If you find yourself feeling like everything you’ve read recently feels the same and is getting too repetitive, maybe it’s time to try something new or at least something different. Actively search for something outside of your comfort zone, or, at least, something fairly different from what you are currently reading.
Which of these tips do you find the most helpful when dealing with your reading burnout? What do you try to do to help yourself enjoy reading again? I’d love to learn more tips and tricks for when I need a reading pick me up!
