From very early on in our education, we are taught the importance of reading independently. It was rooted in our curriculum starting in elementary school and continuing all the way through high school. In middle school, I read a lot and it's something I'm definitely proud of. I read maybe four or five books a year, which is four or five books more per year than I read now. I remember not paying any attention in geography class so that I could read my "Maximum Ride" book instead. Of course, during high school, reading at home over the weekend when I could be socializing was definitely the last thing that I wanted to do. I fell out of the habit of sitting down and actually enjoying a book. Fast forward to college and it is now much more difficult to pick up a book to read.

When it comes to post-secondary education, we as students have a lot to think about. Grades, social lives, extracurricular activities, resume building, part-time jobs and our families back at home. It's hard enough to find a moment to breathe. It was this stress that continued for months and months on end that made me decide it was time to find a way to escape...even just for a little while. Many people like playing sports, going hiking or binge-watching Netflix, but I was so eager to stretch my brain a little bit more.

By the middle of this past semester, my head felt like a ball of Play-Dough that had been left out to harden. I wasn't kneading it enough. I immediately thought about reading more. Though I had some reservations at first, it was the perfect choice. I am a naturally slow reader because it takes me a minute to process the information I read or hear. I find I am a much more visually adept person. Reading a book can seem really repetitive sometimes because it takes me a while to get through a thicker novel and I often feel discouraged. I decided to give it a go though and resolved to be smart about my reading.

I told myself I'd pick a relatively smaller book (about 250 pages) and just read about 50 pages a day. This meant 25 pages in the morning and 25 before I hit the hay at night. I first started with a book I read when I was younger and that I've been meaning to get around to re-reading. This book was, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep," by Phillip K. Dick. I read on. This strategy of reading 25 pages in the morning and 25 at night turned out to work for me. I've now read three and a half books since the beginning of November, which may not be impressive to some avid readers, but it's a lot for me.

Thinking about it, I haven't even been reading three books a year since I started college. To read three books in a month makes me really proud. And what's more is that the experience so far has been so positive. My mind feels so much more relaxed. I feel like I've been able to go on vacation in the middle of a busy semester. Except, the vacation is about an hour long at the beginning of every day and at the end of every night.

Deciding to read books again has helped me to think more critically and analyze subjects from different cultural and philosophical perspectives than I typically hold. I am so glad that I've rediscovered reading and, once again, made it a habit. It has benefitted my schoolwork, too and relieved immense amounts of stress. While I understand that work and school can be stressful, I only hope that you can find a way, like I did, to relieve your anxieties. You'll thank yourself later for taking the time now to practice self-care.