{"id":2793,"date":"2017-05-03T15:40:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T15:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/?p=2793"},"modified":"2017-05-03T15:42:27","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T15:42:27","slug":"reading-improves-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/reading-improves-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Improves Your Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>&#8220;Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another&#8217;s skin, another&#8217;s voice, another&#8217;s soul.&#8221; \u00a0Joyce Carol Oates<\/em><\/p>\n<p>May 1st to 7th is Mental Health Week here in Canada, not sure that holds for the rest of the world but it doesn&#8217;t really matter. Mental health is a subject for all 52 weeks of the year anywhere on the planet. I&#8217;m only just realizing how important a well rounded self-care regimen really is to one&#8217;s continued mental wellbeing. And seeing as my mental health isn&#8217;t always within the optimal range you could be fair to say I&#8217;m a slow learner. Good thing it&#8217;s never too late to start taking care of yourself.<\/p>\n<p>Three websites listing MANY resources for those who are suffering or who know someone that is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Listing of Various Mental Health Resources (Canada): <a href=\"http:\/\/healthymindscanada.ca\/resources\/\">www.healthymindscanada.ca<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Apps, Websites, Forums, Hotlines, Call Centres, and Other Support Groups (United States): <a href=\"http:\/\/greatist.com\/grow\/resources-when-you-can-not-afford-therapy\">Mental Health Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Information and Resources (United Kingdom, with links to their efforts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.org.uk\/\">Mental Health Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I wish I could list links for the planet, but hopefully the links above give you an idea of what information and resources you can search out in your own country or region.<\/p>\n<p>But most importantly: <strong>Ask for help or seek advice from a professional &#8211; give your mental health the attention it needs and deserves.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I can say from personal experience, you won&#8217;t regret it.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/tests-procedures\/cognitive-behavioral-therapy\/home\/ovc-20186868\">Cognitive Behavioural Therapy<\/a> gave me important tools to manage my symptoms of depression and anxiety. But in reality it&#8217;s of benefit to everyone as we all have to deal with life&#8217;s challenges, stresses, and demands. Learn how to manage negative thinking or inaccurate thoughts. Learn the difference between positive thinking and realistic thinking. Make your mental health a priority!<\/p>\n<p>We all need and deserve breaks. But we can&#8217;t all jump on a plane or boat and spend a month in Bora Bora. There are numerous ways to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywell.com\/tips-to-reduce-stress-3145195\">relieve stress<\/a> that won&#8217;t put you in the poor house.<\/p>\n<p>One of my favourite ways to relieve stress? Reading. Of course, reading has many benefits, but it&#8217;s also a way to reset and recharge. Six minutes of reading can reduce your stress levels by 68%. In the last few months I&#8217;ve taken to reading print books again, after having all but given them up. It was a craving really, a desire to hold a print book in my hands. There&#8217;s a term for this &#8211; slow reading. I guess it&#8217;s no surprise that I&#8217;m back to reading print (I haven&#8217;t given up ebooks!) as I&#8217;ve embraced a more mindful life style. Science has proven slow reading reduces stress, increases your ability to concentrate, and improves your sleep.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve just started a wonderful (so far) book: The Woman in Cabin 10 by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ruthware.com\">Ruth Ware<\/a>! Good thing because this month promises to be a busy one.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2794\" src=\"http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/writing-300x205.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/writing-300x205.png 300w, http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/writing-440x300.png 440w, http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/writing.png 513w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>When travel journalist Lo Blacklock is invited on a boutique luxury cruise around the Norwegian fjords, it seems like a dream career opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But the trip takes a nightmarish turn when she wakes in the middle of the night to hear a body being thrown overboard \u2013 only to discover that no-one has been reported missing from the boat.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>How do you stop a killer, when no-one believes they exist?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Funny how reading about murder allows me to relax! What do you do to relieve stress? And please, offer book recommendations! I&#8217;m always in need of a great book to read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another&#8217;s skin, another&#8217;s voice, another&#8217;s soul.&#8221; \u00a0Joyce Carol Oates May 1st to 7th is Mental Health Week here in Canada, not sure that holds for the rest &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/karyngood.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/reading-improves-mental-health\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,1],"tags":[642,697,608,699,698,370],"class_list":["post-2793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reading","category-uncategorized","tag-cognitive-behavourial-therapy","tag-mental-health-week","tag-reading","tag-ruth-ware","tag-self-care","tag-suspense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Reading Improves Mental Heath: Resources and Tips<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another&#039;s skin, another&#039;s voice, another&#039;s soul.&quot; Joyce Carol Oates\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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