Well-being

One Must Read! Your monthly letter from Olena and the team

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Dear Friends!

As we navigate the constant rush of modern life, I want to share with you a simple yet profound practice that can transform your daily experience: mindful reading. In our therapy work together, we often explore ways to cultivate presence and calm the restless mind.

Today, I invite you to consider how the simple act of reading can become both a powerful mindfulness technique and a cornerstone of your overall wellbeing.

The Science of Reading: A Lifetime of Benefits

The research on reading’s impact is truly remarkable. From childhood through our golden years, books offer us gifts far beyond entertainment.

👶 In Childhood, reading shapes developing minds in extraordinary ways. Children who read regularly are better able to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. Perhaps most striking is this: a children's book exposes young minds to 50% more words than watching a television show.

For teenagers, reading for pleasure correlates with clearer career goals and a better understanding of the consequences of risky behavior.

🧑In Adulthood, the benefits become even more immediate and measurable. Researchers at the University of Sussex discovered something remarkable: participants needed to read silently for just six minutes to slow down their heart rate and ease muscle tension. Reading works better and faster than other methods to calm our nerves. Books also promote empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence—qualities that enhance every relationship in our lives.

👵 In Older Age, reading becomes literally life-extending. A Yale University research study found that book reading contributed to a survival advantage significantly greater than reading newspapers or magazines. The mentally challenging task of reading helps maintain and build brain cells and the connections between them. Most remarkably, researchers observed a 20% reduction in mortality for those who read books compared to those who didn't.

Beyond Words: Reading as Sacred Pause

When we think of reading, we often focus on information gathering or entertainment. But reading can be so much more—it can become a deliberate practice of slowing down, a way to create sacred pauses in our day. Unlike the fragmented, rapid-fire consumption of digital content, mindful reading invites us to settle into a different rhythm entirely.

Consider this: when you open a book and begin to read with intention, you're creating a boundary between yourself and the demands of the world. You're choosing to be present with just one thing at a time. In our multitasking culture, this single-pointed attention is both radical and healing.

The Deep Personal Journey of Literary
Experience

C.S. Lewis beautifully captured the transformative power of reading: "In reading we seek the enlargement of our being... Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege of individuality." Reading is an individual and deeply personal experience. There are works that we grow into and works that grow into us, creating a dynamic relationship between reader and text that evolves throughout our lives.

This puts beautifully the great virtue of studying literature of past ages: it demands that for a while, we lay aside our own concerns, prejudices, and opinions and enter into the experience of another through what Henry James called "fond participation". In this act of imaginative empathy, we practice the very skills that make us more compassionate, understanding humans.

To transform reading into a mindfulness practice that maximizes these wellbeing benefits, consider these gentle approaches:

📍Set the Scene:

Choose a specific place for your mindful reading—perhaps a comfortable chair by a window, or a quiet corner with soft lighting. This physical anchor helps signal to your nervous system that it's time to slow down and receive the full benefits of this practice.

🌬️Begin with Breath:

Before opening your book, take three conscious breaths. Feel your body settling into the chair, notice any tension you might be carrying, and let yourself arrive fully in this moment. Remember, you’re about to engage in an activity that will literally calm your heart rate and ease muscle tension.

🧘‍♂️ Read for Presence, Not Progress:

Release any pressure to read quickly or remember everything. Instead, allow yourself to savor the rhythm of language, the texture of ideas, the simple pleasure of words flowing through your awareness. This unhurried approach maximizes reading’s stress-reduction benefits.

🔄 Notice When Your Mind Wanders:

Just as in meditation, your thoughts will drift to tomorrow’s responsibilities or yesterday’s concerns. When this happens, gently acknowledge where your mind has gone, and kindly guide your attention back to the page. This returning is not failure — it’s the practice itself, and it’s strengthening your brain’s neural pathways.

Finding Your Literary Path

If you're wondering where to start, consider your current needs. Are you seeking practical wisdom? Explore nonfiction that helps you unplug and find balance. Do you need comfort and restoration? Browse feel-good fiction that brings you peace. The key is choosing material that genuinely draws you in and helps you settle into the present moment.

Remember, this practice isn't about improving yourself through "important" books, but about creating moments of connection, calm, and the "enlargement of being" that Lewis describes. Poetry, memoirs, fiction, nature writing, philosophy—whatever resonates with your soul and helps you access that healing space of focused attention.

The Gift of Literary Slowness

In our achievement-oriented world, we often feel guilty about "just" reading. But now you know better: in those moments when you're absorbed in a book, you're literally extending your life, strengthening your brain, calming your nervous system, and developing your capacity for empathy. You're practicing something our souls desperately need—the art of being rather than doing.

This practice of literary slowness ripples into other areas of your life. As you develop a mindful reading practice, you may find yourself naturally slowing down in conversations, eating more mindfully, and approaching challenges with greater patience and presence.

Your Invitation Forward

I encourage you to experiment with reading as both meditation and routine, rituals and boundary setting this month. Start small—even those six minutes that research shows can calm your heart rate. Notice what shifts in your inner landscape when you create these intentional pauses with books.

Next time you lose yourself in a book, rest assured you're taking care of your health in the most comprehensive way possible. You're not just relaxing—you're actively contributing to your longevity, emotional intelligence, and capacity for joy.

Your journey toward greater presence and peace doesn't require perfection—it simply asks for your gentle, consistent return to practices that nourish your soul and strengthen your mind. Mindful reading is one such practice, backed by science and enriched by centuries of human wisdom, waiting patiently for you whenever you're ready to slow down and receive its profound gifts.

With warm regards and hope for your continued journey, Olena and the team

🧭 Remember: Your healing journey is unique to you. Take what serves you from this letter and leave the rest. Trust your own wisdom about what your heart and mind need most right now.

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