114
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by AceLucario@lemmy.ml to c/books@lemmy.ml

I used to be an avid reader, but years of high school and depression completely ruined that. I haven't been able to complete a novel since senior year six years ago. It's frustrating to me and I want to know how I can overcome my lack of focus and anxiety. I've heard I'm not alone when it comes to this sort of thing at least.

E: I wasn't expecting so many replies. Thank you, all of you, for the ideas.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] NormalTownLeader@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

While I can't speak to the mental health mentioned in this post, I used to read all the time, but by the time high school years hit that dwindled and I could barely read a chapter without wanting to do something else. I think that social media really took a toll on my attention span (though I can't prove that).

What helped me was making a book club with some friends of mine! When I had a deadline in place where if I didn't finish chapters at a set time (otherwise I wouldn't be able to properly have a conversation about it with them) that really helped motivate me. This also had the added benefit of exposing me to books I wouldn't normally read (this is how I was introduced to House of Leaves). I still don't dive deep into a book as easily as I used to, but it has been improving and like anything else just generally comes with practice.

this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
114 points (100.0% liked)

Books

10178 readers
1 users here now

Book reader community.

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS