There are many different ways to manage the anxiety that afflicts millions of Americans. Many anxiety sufferers are scared to take the first step, or think that managing their anxiety will take a lot of work that they are not able to do. They may feel like their anxiety will hold them back, or the steps to recovery will be to difficult for them to handle. With all the ways to help manage anxiety, it is astounding that more people do not know of the ways they can help themselves. Diet change, exercise, and being around loved ones rank as some of the easiest. However, one of the easiest ways to help manage anxiety is to read a novel. Just by picking up a book for a few hours a day can take away the anxious feelings, and improve your anxiety over time if it becomes routine.
The Main Character:
When reading, most people can try to relate to the main character of the story. Usually the main character of the story is a hero/heroine or a protagonist with many great features. By picking up the book and relating themselves to this positive character, readers are improving their self-esteem and mood. They see themselves in a great role, and for those few hours that they are immersed into this new world, they forget about the anxiety that afflicts them, and focus on other adventures.
The Story:
Not only do readers relate to the main character and get lost in that persona, they also get lost in the story. Many anxiety sufferers need to distract themselves from a problem to attain a good grasp on it. Often times, the problem can be solved easily, but to an anxious mind this is not the case. By reading a novel, anxious readers are taken somewhere else for a while. They delve into a different world and read of other’s adventures while temporarily leaving their worries on the back burner. When they set down the novel, they have a fresh, non-anxious mind that is ready to tackle the problem at hand. The novel isn’t there to make people avoid their problems, but to have a temporary escape from the anxieties that often pain them.
Reconfiguring Brain Networks:
Reading novels can reconfigure brain networks. Going into another person’s world helps readers increase their compassion to another’s suffering. When going into a story, we escape the world we are in. We feel emotion towards certain characters and their journey, which allows for the reader to better understand their own problems. They look at the character they are reading and feel compassion towards them, and then take that same attitude when looking at their own life. This is a major help in self-growth and self-esteem, as well as helping in decreasing certain anxieties.
Anxiety is a complicated disorder, and not every treatment works for each person. However, trying many different at home treatments can make the journey to healing much easier, and the answer could be lying on the nearest bookshelf.
