Take a step inside a good book

I've always loved reading; films and TV are not really my thing, I get bored and restless. But reading is different, you can travel off to a new land, off on someone else's story and get lost. 

Reading has been proven to lower stress levels and it only takes a mere six minutes for your stress levels to reduce. Furthermore, reading is said to have a more stress-reducing impact than listening to music or going for a walk. Dr Lewis, from the University of Sussex ,claims that: "[reading] is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness."

My reading fluctuates. Sometimes I read a lot and then there are months that pass and I have barely opened a book (of course I read a lot for work but I don't really count that!). My friend recently recommended The Hunger Games Trilogy , I can remember thinking 'nah, I don't really want to go along with the hype' but the next day I picked it up in the local bookshop and needless to say I was hooked. Completely. And I devoured all three books in under two weeks. 

Spending this time submerged in Katniss's world was a release, I didn't need to think about anything except what was going to happen when I opened the cover and stepped into her life. As Dr Lewis says, it's not about forgetting and distracting yourself, for me it's about giving yourself, and your mind, a break. 

Here are two more recent purchases. The Divergent Trilogy is also gripping and I would thoroughly recommended giving it a go...I have, as you can see, been spending quite a bit of time lingering in the Young Adult/Teenage Fiction section of the bookshop recently!

One of my favourite ways to unwind and cheer myself up is to treat myself to a frothy, creamy coffee and to settle down and read the newspaper. Research shows that it's not just reading books that reduces stress levels but reading anything will achieve the same effect.   

And here is a lovely quote that I thought I'd share with you. It's one of many that are painted on the walls of my local coffee shop, 'A room without books...is like a body without a soul.' 

I'd love to hear about your favourite reads. 

Happy relaxing x