Reading is always the thing that keeps me going. During hard times or uncomfortable days in middle school, books were an escape. When I needed to quiet my mind after a stressful day, I picked up a book and devoured it. I remember how my younger self relied on the worlds of fiction to keep the unpleasantness of life at bay. Blasting through a book in a single sitting was exhilarating. My entire body would be vibrating with excitement when I closed the final page. Books were my life.

As an adult, the opportunity to devour a book still makes me jittery. However, I feel like my present self lacks some of my younger self’s dedication. Yes, I’ve hit my Goodreads goals and have lists of books to read. It’s true that I’ve already planned what books to read this year. The problem is, I’ve gone weeks without picking up a book. When I was younger, I read almost every day. Now, I feel lackluster about the entire thing. 

I know that I’m among many people my age who’ve drifted a bit from books. Instead of burying our noses in novels, we’re reading works crafted online. There’s nothing wrong with that! I’ve read some amazing stories on the internet created by very talented writers. Many of these I would never be able to enjoy in a novel form. However, I can feel my internet deep dives shortening my attention span. With this shortened attention span, my brain sometimes struggles with novels. It leads to feelings of burnout for my favorite hobby. 

A week ago, I finished an interesting book that left my brain swimming. It led me on a Goodreads rabbit trail in search of more fascinating books to positively kick off my 2020 reading challenge. A day later I wanted to binge YouTube and forget all about my reading challenge. I set myself up for success, but I still felt early burnout. It’s frustrating to watch myself begin the cycle anew.

I know that tomorrow I might set down my phone and finally get to The ScrewTape Letters. Or, I could continue my procrastination. Either way, it’s okay to feel burned out by something. Even if it’s a dearly loved hobby. Sometimes, we must take a break from things we love to remember why we hold them in our hearts. If you’ve ever felt reader burnout, don’t let it keep you down. A book will come into your life and relight your spark for reading. Until then, be kind to yourself. Don’t forget that you’re not alone in this state. 

What are some ways that you’ve pulled yourself out of a reading burnout? Let me know in the comments below. If you want to recommend a book to help me out of this reading rut, you can fill out the survey here. You can check out my Goodreads for some inspiration here if you’re in the same boat. Who knows, you might some inspiration!