Reading burnout: Inevitable?
On January first, many of us decide on our new “ins” and “outs": to start a new workout routine, get more sleep or finally become disciplined readers. But let's be honest, almost two months in, most of us have given up these goals; who has time to read anyway? Maybe we chose reading as a goal to keep ourselves intellectually stimulated, or simply for joy. Either way, after promising to become a “reader” again, by a month in we find ourselves burnt out and unsuccessful in our attempts.
Setting the goal to become a reader inherently places standards on the hobby. A reader seems to be someone who has read a plethora of books and goes to bed only after finishing at least fifty pages. The person who has analyzed all the classics, but still has time to indulge in easy, lighthearted books. This person seems knowledgeable and worldly, and we all strive to be them when we decide to read again.
Putting this pressure onto the act of reading almost forces it to become a task. Instead of reading for fun, we are reading only for the sake of being a “reader”.
Although we desire to be diligent readers, we are often stopped from doing so because of our busy lives. Most weeks are spent enduring an entire day of classes and homework, only to get into bed near midnight. As much as we want to read, going to bed right away or opening up tik tok to scroll for an hour is much easier, and more gratifying in the moment.
For most of us, reading burnout is natural and somewhat inevitable. And while it might seem hopeless, it is possible to start reading again as a passion. Instead of treating it as a goal or a task, focusing on reading more casually can take the pressure off of becoming a model reader. If reading a chapter every night seems impossible, start with a page and allow yourself to stop at any point. Emphasize the joy of reading and escape from a world where everything must be for a greater purpose. At the end of the day, no one is counting the number of books you read, and what matters most is the joy of entering a different reality. Let yourself use reading as a reprieve, and lift the stress off of yourself. Simply read.
The convenience of going on your phone or laptop is not something that reading always provides. To even begin, we must first choose a book we want to read out of the thousands of recommendations fed to us on TikTok or Instagram. Once selected, the books are usually upwards of 15 dollars, which adds up to be an expensive hobby. After all this trial and error, we end up having to push past so much more than just “picking up a book” in order to even hope to become avid readers.