What’s a reading slump? To me, a reading slump is when no matter how much I try no book I pick up to read is holding my interest, I’m just disconnected and uninterested when reading is no longer enjoyable and feels so forced, I can’t concentrate. Which is hard to believe for some people because of how literary oriented my life is.

I hate this period so badly and I find I get into it a lot lately and it’s because of how much work I am doing and how exhausting it all is because I have to read some pretty underwhelming books for work, yes reading such books can really kill your reading buzz.

Which is why in today’s discussion I’m going to share ways that have helped me get out of reading slumps, it might be just what you need also.

Stop reading

It may not seem like the obvious choice, but you really need to stop reading, stop trying and just take a break from reading in general. You’re only going to frustrate yourself further if nothing you pick is holding your interest.

During this period I don’t bother with reading anything, not even my old favourites, I turn to listen to podcasts or watching films, it really helps, maybe I should look into listening to audiobooks, might actually work.

Watch a Film

It could be a movie or series, youtube or facebook shows etc. or something on your favourite streaming sites. Films are another form of storytelling, with visual and audio aids, wherever I’m on a break from reading, I’m definitely binge-watching a series. I’ve found it to be a very soothing and productive distraction from my reading woes.

In fact, I have become balancing the two greatly, some nights I read before sleeping and other nights I watch a movie or show before I sleep.

Reading Another Genre

When I’m struggling to read, I switch genres, I go from contemporary to fantasy to mystery/crime to literary to romance etc. I dig around until I find a story that sticks, it helps a lot getting rid of reading blockage or disinterest most of the time.

This is actually one of the best times to try your hands at a genre you’ve always been curious about, because this is something new and what you’re not used to, so it’s like embarking on a different journey. I suggest True Crime if that’s not your usual cup of tea, always works for me no matter the format.

Re-reading Favourites

I love reading, sometimes when nothing new interests me or I don’t feel like I have the energy or interest, when a reading slump has its hooks in me greatly and I need to read because nothing else is working I tend to go back to read books I have read and loved, I know what to expect and it comforts me.

Buddy Read

Reading with someone else can be a great way to combat a reading slump, where you both set a reading pace, reading a number of chapters or pages a day and discussing it along the way with your partner or partners, it makes reading a shared activity that is fun and interactive, if you’re looking for a partner, don’t hesitate to reach out to me, I’ll help you and you might help me also who knows, get out of a reading slump!

Write

Another thing I do when I can’t read is write, I open up my mind and think of amazing stories I would like to write and just plot it all out, I may never actually write the story but doing the outline etc. gets me hyped again to read books that are similar to my plot in the name of research lol, it may not work for others but it sure has worked for me!

Go Out

I notice I fall into the hands of a reading slump when I don’t switch things up in how I live my life, if all I do is go to work, go home, read and blog for more than three weeks, I’m killing myself. So now I randomly just go out of my way to do things I usually don’t do. It doesn’t have to be big, just take a walk, go window shopping or actual shopping for other things, go to a park and just embrace life, it’s a way to hit a reset button and gives you more perspective, so you don’t get stuck in a loop.

So you’ve read what causes reading slumps for me and how I combat them, what about you? How do you know you’re in a reading slump and what helps cure this dreadful readers sickness? Let’s chat in the comments.

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