I read constantly. Last year, I logged 36 books on my Goodreads. This year, I’m shooting for 40.
As far back as first grade, I’ve always loved getting lost in a book. The feeling of spending my day lost in a whole different world, even if it was just for a few minutes at a time, was indescribable.
Anytime I felt bored or overwhelmed I just picked up a book. I didn’t check Instagram only to see the same heavily edited, unrealistically joyous pictures. I had no use checking my email inbox again. I had my book and I was more than entertained.
When you pick up your phone and pull up X (formerly known as Twitter) before class, you’ll start scrolling. You’ll see news and updates from friends, maybe even memes. When you’ve spent an hour looking through threads and comments, you’ll log off the app and then immediately wonder if you should get back on.
If you open a book, you’ll read the book because it’s something you’re interested in. Whether it’s hours worth of reading or it takes a whole year to finish, you’ll end the book with this sense of accomplishment.
Reading is a hobby everyone should enjoy.
In this age of mindfulness, it’s something often overlooked when mentioning wellness practices. We talk about trying yoga or coloring. It’s always recommended we spend time disconnected from social media or spending time away from our phones.
Yet, we never talk about the benefits of reading in our free time, especially as college students.
A study of university students in Canada found that participants felt reading was a way to relax in their spare time and enhance their background knowledge and active vocabulary while also improving their academic performance.
For college students, reading is a chance to utilize our time doing things we enjoy.. You can download a book on your phone and read between classes or while you eat. Audiobooks are another great way to listen while you’re not too busy, walking or even working out. At the end of the day, you can spend a few minutes reading more to wind down before bed.
It doesn’t have to be a classic novel like “Ulysses.” Reading the newest “Star Wars” novel or even “Harry Potter” is just as beneficial and rewarding. The important thing is that you read something you can stick with.
While Oxford isn’t home to a bookstore, we do have places to get books. King Library has a small selection of leisure reads on the first floor and Lane Library has a larger collection to borrow. In Hamilton, Half Price Books sells used books, and Crab Apple Books in Middletown sells new, used and antique books.
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You also don’t need to spend money on a reading tablet or buy a physical book to read either. Services like Spotify and Kindle Unlimited give users access to thousands of titles with a subscription.
Reading is an affordable hobby with numerous benefits that offers a chance to practice mindfulness. As college students, we can improve our ability to communicate, our vocabulary and our own mental wellness.
Even in the busy schedule of our lives, taking 10 minutes a day to read and disconnect doesn’t seem like such a hard thing to ask for.
Riley Crabtree is a sophomore double-majoring in journalism and political science. She’s from Jackson, Ohio, and has been with The Miami Student for two years.
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