It's World Book Day today (Thursday) and an industry-leading training provider has explored the positive benefits reading can bring.

Studies have shown that one in six adults in England will have experienced a common mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, in any given week.

Here High Speed Training whose website is here explore the role that reading can play in promoting positive mental health. 

Relaxation

Dr Richard Anderson, Head of Learning and Development at High Speed Training, said: "Reading can be used as a form of relaxation. You stop, usually sit somewhere comfortable, and give your full attention to the activity. One study (Mindlab International, Sussex University, 2009), found that reading silently for just six minutes was enough to slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles – in turn reducing stress.

"By becoming absorbed in what you are reading, you are able to escape your own thoughts and concerns for a while. Reading can be a mindful activity, grounding your thoughts in the words on the page."

Sleep

Sleep hygiene – developing healthy behaviours and routines to help you get the best night's sleep possible – can be a powerful tool in promoting good mental health. Disturbed sleep can be a feature of mental ill-health and can also exacerbate any issues that you might be experiencing. When we are tired, we are likely to be less resilient. 

Reading can form a part of a successful sleep routine. Reading before bed can help your mind wind down, help you ease into sleep – resulting in a better night's sleep than if you use screen based activity before bed.

Empathy & representation

Empathy can be beneficial to our own mental health as it increases our ability to relate to others and improve our communications. Empathy can also be self-directed – rather than being hard on ourselves and thinking negatively about our thoughts and actions, we can show empathy and understanding towards our own experience in the same way we would others.

Dr Anderson continues: "Reading opens up our access to experiences. As well as empathising with the lives of others, reading can be a powerful way to see elements of our own experiences reflected in the experiences we are reading about. If this relates to something directly impacting your own mental health, reading about others' similar situations can help you feel that you are not alone in the experience; that your experience is valid."

How to Use Reading for Mental Health

Build Reading into Your Daily Routine

Just setting some time aside for yourself can be a powerful way to prioritise your own mental health. You are giving yourself permission to take time to do something for you. Pair this time with some reading. It could be ten minutes first thing in the morning, half an hour wind down reading before bed or using your commute to work to read rather than answer emails – any time that fits with your own routine.

Reading with children

This could be reading to your children or hearing them read (or ideally both). This is a hugely important way to develop them as readers – both in terms of practice and in modelling the importance of reading. It can also provide you with some dedicated, quality time together in your day. Reading with children can be a great way to begin to talk to your children about their own mental wellbeing and feelings, using what you have read as a springboard. 

Book Clubs

Book clubs can be a great way to meet people. The books provide a shared focus which means that there is a structure to the social interaction. This can be particularly beneficial for people who find unpredictable social situations challenging or uncomfortable. Having a book to read and discuss also means that you are able to share your own thoughts, and benefit from the insights of others. Knowing that you need to read a book in time for the next session can also help you to continue to prioritise reading in your daily routine. 

Dr Anderson said: "Losing yourself in a good book, learning from an informative article or tackling some poetry can have many benefits in promoting and protecting our mental health.

This World Book Day, we would encourage you to take some time for yourself and enjoy reading in a way that works for you."

For more information and resources, please visit the High Speed Training Hub.