Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Reasons to Take a Reading Break


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A few years ago, I blogged about the general benefits of taking a reading break. Today I wanted to take a different approach to the topic and discuss some of the specific reasons why it can be a good idea to stop reading or to read less often for a while.

Reason #4 will mention grief and Covid-19, so feel free to skip that one if needed.

A beautiful park filled with large, healthy trees that are brimming with green leaves. 1. Enjoying Good Weather 

Southern Ontario is a humid and often stormy place. That humidity translates into chilly winters and stifling summers, so one quickly learns to take advantage of mild temperatures and clear skies when they occur.

To me, reading is an activity that makes more sense when it’s -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) or 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) outside and it’s medically dangerous to be out there for long periods of time. If you’re lucky enough to have a balmy day in the15-20 Celsius (59-68 Fahrenheit) range, you’d better enjoy it while it lasts and go take a hike or enjoy a picnic or something.

2. Pursuing Other Interests 

I love my bookish and often nerdy interests, but that is not all that I am! It’s refreshing to switch between hobbies and interact with different social circles. Sometimes I also discover that there is more overlap between my various interests than I originally thought which is always cool to find.

3. Being More Physically Active

Yes, I know that some people listen to audiobooks while exercising, but that only works for me when I’m doing something like taking a brisk walk. I prefer to give my undivided attention to activities like weightlifting so that I can keep an eye on my form and stay focused on what I’m doing.

4. Resting My Mind 

This was especially true about eighteen months ago when a relative of mine caught Covid-19 and did not fully recover from it. (That is to say, they are still with us but have Long Covid now). Books can be a healthy distraction, but they can also be a little overstimulating when you’re waiting for news of even the smallest signs of improvement and do not necessarily get them.

5. Rediscovering the Excitment of Reading 

Nearly anything can begin to feel repetitive if I do it too often! As much as I love reading, taking breaks from it enables me to rediscover how exciting it is to crack open a book and once again anticipate what it will be like to discover all of its secrets.

 

 

 

 

78 Comments

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78 Responses to Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Reasons to Take a Reading Break

  1. Great points! I find myself naturally reading less when I’ve got other projects on the go, or when the weather hits the ‘out-and-about’ sweet spot too!

  2. Ash

    I wholeheartedly agree that reading breaks are so important. Idk about anyone else but I get in this… frame of mind.. I suppose where I *HAVE* to read so so so much I end up getting burnt out or stressed about it… when reading should be a fun thing.

    Ash @ Essentially Ash

  3. Reading breaks are so important! Reading is supposed to be a hobby and not a chore so I’ll always put my book down if something needs my full attention.

  4. Good points, Lydia. I sometimes slow down because I just seem to be in a reading slump, I guess my body or my mind tell me to do that.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT which talks about the weather this week.

  5. This is a great post! I don’t take breaks from reading but probably should. Especially when several books in a row don’t strike my fancy. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Yes, it’s a good idea to take a break sometimes and do other things – particularly when the weather is nice!

  7. Totally agree with all of these – it’s so important to take a break sometimes! I often forget to have a life outside of my books and blog, and it’s something I’m trying to prioritize more this year! Resetting is also so important and just taking time to heal after something is essential.

    Such a great topic!

    Zoe x

    My TTT: https://zbestbooks.blogspot.com/2022/04/top-ten-tuesday-favourite-ya-books-of.html

  8. These are all great point! I don’t intentionally take breaks from reading, but I do find that there are times when I don’t feel like reading… and those times often line up with the items on your list.

    I did a tag post this week

  9. This is a very interesting prompt. I also think it’s something that I need to remember from time to time.

    Another reason I’d add to your list would be spending time with your friends and/or family. I often want to just read the night away but instead choose to spend the evening watching a movie with my husband.

    Thanks for the reminder to take a break and do more important things every now and then. Also, thanks for stopping by my blog.

  10. A great list! I have booked a few too many blog tours this month which is totally my own fault! Altogether though I haven’t been reading long enough to need a break yet 🤣

  11. Love this! It’s always good to change things up in our lives and learn to appreciate a broader mix of things than just books and reading. I think it’s all about finding the right balance for you in your life. 🙂

  12. These are all EXCELLENT reasons for a reading break! Especially this time of year I do like to get outside a bit more–which will limit my reading. 🙂

  13. We all need a reading break sometimes. I get bogged down with NetGalley deadlines and look forward to a few days off.

  14. All such good reasons for a reading break! I’m definitely trying to feel less guilty about reading breaks lately, because sometimes a reading break is just needed 🙂

  15. Denise @ Life With No Plot

    I love this list. You are so spot on with all these points. I think trying to read as much as we do as book bloggers does have a down side sometimes which is why I think I fall into reading slumps. Not necessarily a bad thing – we can always use a break, no matter what the activity is.

    • Thank you. And, yeah, that is one of the downsides of being a book blogger for sure. I wish we could be paid for that work somehow. I think it would help.

  16. Reading and blogging breaks are very important imo. I take them all the time, it balances out the times when I can spend far too many hours sedentary with my head in a book or my laptop. Thank goodness for audiobooks.

  17. Great points, Lydia. I know my reading is slowing as the nice weather is here.

  18. I just got back into an old hobby (crocheting) and it is so nice. I love reading, but it’s never a bad thing to have multiple hobbies.

  19. I’ve pretty much taken a reading break, except for research, for the last year while writing. Now the book is published I’m getting back into reading again. All Power to you and others who need to take a break.

  20. This is a really interesting take, and what a hopeful note to end on! Great list.

  21. Yes!!! Taking a break can be so so good. I’ve done it several times. The warmer days we have had sprinkled in, I have done zero reading. It’s been kind of nice.

  22. Poinsettia

    Great points! I recently got over a very long reading slump and am re-discovering my love of reading.

  23. agree with all your points, taking a break (even short ones) from things we love doing also helps.. first, we need to do other things too (like you say) and second, your point #5…

  24. This is such a good topic! I love that you balance reading with other activities.

  25. I love this topic and agree with all of your reasons. 🙂

  26. All really good points. I suspect I’d make more of an effort to be social more often if I wasn’t always looking for every spare second to read!

  27. Good points. I’ve definitely had a few reading slumps which slow down my reading so a short break would probably be useful at those times.

  28. This is such an interesting post! I love reading but it is good to take time for other things too.

  29. Oh, I love this list and how you used the TTT Freebie here! I also adore spending time in nature!

  30. During the first season of Covid, I found it difficult to focus on reading and I needed to switch to light, fluffy, and HEA for a few months. I also take a reading break when I’m binging seasons of a Netflix show with my husband! 😂 I definitely think reading breaks are important in a balanced reading life! Great post!

  31. I’ve never taken a reading break before in my life, but I can definitely see the benefits of doing so. My other hobbies definitely take a backseat to my reading/blogging. I do use audiobooks to read when I HAVE to do other things like cleaning, driving, and exercising. Great post!

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    • That’s fascinating, Susan!

      But, yeah, audiobooks are fantastic when you have stuff like chores to do. What kinds of exercise do you do? I’m picturing something like jogging or walking since they’re pretty compatible with listening to an audiobook.

  32. Jo

    I tend to find I read more in good weather (providing it’s not too hot), as I love to read outside and can sit for hours (applying regular suncream of course). And I am one of those who listens to audiobooks whilst exercising, though this was a habit I developed in the pandemic as I lost my public transport listening time and need another activity to do whilst listening and have just kept it up since. For me, the only times I generally take reading breaks are when I’m very busy, like when I was at Uni, I’d not read as much whilst I was on deadline for assignments. These are all really good reasons why you may not want to read though!

    • Very interesting!

      There is definitely something to be said for enjoying warm sunshine. I’ll bet you make lots of vitamin D even with all of the sunscreen. 🙂

  33. These are all great reasons for taking a reading break! I like to read outdoors in the summer, but it’s also nice to enjoy good weather and make the most of it 🙂

  34. Great list! I’m also someone who can’t really listen to audiobooks while exercising which is so sad 🙁

    • Thank you.

      I’m glad you understand the audiobook thing. I’m a little jealous of people who can exercise while listening to them, too. What a cool talent that is. 🙂

  35. Great post, Lydia! I absolutely agree with all your points but especially about 3, 4 and 5! Last month I ended up slowing down on my reading a lot cos I was too overwhelmed with work and other stress and my brain would get overstimulated when I tried to read. Audiobooks are something that only works for me in very particular instances so I totally relate to that point as well.

  36. This is a great list! I would say certain types of weather definitely cause me to take reading breaks, because when it’s summer time, my son always wants to play outside in our little backyard pool and between getting ready, swimming, and resting afterwards, I’m usually too worn out to read unless it’s an audiobook lol!

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