THE 7 LIFE CHANGING BENEFITS OF EMBRACING LITERATURE

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” ~ The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Reality television, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook have taken all our time away from where our hearts once begged to be – in the middle of an incredible story. In the good old days, we fervently turned each page while missing breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner just to see what would happen next. We forgot in a haste, the special memories that come from reading literary fiction, viewing a play with an open mind for inspiration and listening to the soul soothing works of poetry. We forgot so soon, when we stayed in bed on a beautiful day just to finish a book, went late to class because of a chapter that just had to be finished, and the moments we escaped from our unsettling moods to jump into an unexpected journey.

The good news however is, those beautiful stories and lessons that lie in the genres of literature: prose, drama and poetry are awaiting us; we just need to realize that they never left, and it all begins with understanding that we should start picking up interest in works of literature again because of the numerous benefits they offer such as:

1. Your True Self Discovery:

Since our real emotions are clouded under peer pressure, we find ourselves not only discovering our true emotions when reading, but also our wants and needs. When we read, the chains of social pressure are released, and we find ourselves looking at life in the perspective we’ve always believed to be true but hid from ourselves and others. This helps us realize our most important priorities including goals for success.

2. Developing Life Skills To Successfully Approach Obstacles:

As characters learn how to approach and overcome obstacles, they share that experience with us. So, when we face similar challenges in our lives we know how to rise above these challenges already because being mentally equipped with new and more effective approach to the obstacles found in our everyday lives is powerful. For example the through the famous work of Paulo Coelho, "The Alchemist" many people changed the way they perceive obstacles and the journey of life.

3. Enhanced Focus:

If we can sit down and work for a half hour, that’s considered focused in today’s world. Now, we need to be hyper focused to achieve success and to create incredible projects, no matter how small. Hence, we ought to practice, and it all starts with reading, specifically literary fiction because: it moves us in different directions, involves more ideas, and emotion from the writer, tending to create a narrative with few bounds. 

If you can learn to focus while reading literary fiction books, then your productivity will never be chained to social media, texting, and negativity.

4.Gives You Inner Peace:

In 2009 study by the University of Sussex showed that reading for six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 68%. 

Being conversant with literary works which concentrate less on developing a plot, allow your mind wander and relax. 

Reading can actually give you a sense of calm in just minutes. “…by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination,” cognitive neuropsychologist David Lewis told The Telegraph. Regular readers also sleep better, have lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, and lower rates of depression than non-readers.

5. Helps You Discover Your True Role Models:

In most fiction stories, there’s a protagonist who overcomes obstacles against all odds to become a hero. In fact, these stories enable us to feel like we’re experiencing the journey in the shoes of the characters. As a result, they give us the courage to become our own heroes whether that means helping our family or chasing a bigger vision.

6. Nurtures Your Empathy:

Empathy is one of the must-needed qualities for leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers at large. 

When we read stories, we’re free from peer judgment when responding to what happens to the invented characters. Correspondingly, we tend to show more real emotion. This exhibit of emotion is not lost but retained and slowly worked into our everyday lives making us increasingly genuine.

7. Amplifies Your Creativity:

Your imagination thrives off art. Literature is an awe-inspiring definition of art because it allows significant room for interpretation. Simply put: You’re given a direction, but you create the path. With expanded creativity, you find new ideas that can take any project to the next level.

Conclusively, even though reading has many benefits, it does come down to whether the individual reader takes advantage of them.

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