Reading burnout has a way of creeping into our lives without a whisper of a warning, and at the most inconvenient of times, too! Itās invasive, exhausting, and a little confusing, especially when the desire to read is there, but the motivation to actually do the reading is not.Ā
We should be reading. Thatās what we tell ourselves, and what we imagine our community is thinking, even if they arenāt. Our hands itch for a book and our minds long to delve into a satisfying tale. We miss it, we need it–and a severe case of FOMO settles into our bones. Every cell in our bodies is shouting that WE SHOULD BE READING.
And yet…we canāt.
No matter how reading burnout takes shape in our lives, we inevitably must face the fact that our passion for reading doesnāt need to be approached as if weāre playing whack-a-mole with books. Odd as it may sound, reading burnout serves a valuable, positive purpose.
It took me years to understand that any kind of burnout or fatigue is the brainās way of demanding we press pause and listen to it. We forget that books require mental bandwidth. Theyāre quite demanding in every wayāemotionally, mentally, and physically. All that sobbing we did? All the laughing? All the ranting and raving? All the Twitter play-by-plays of book reactions? All the late night oh-my-gods-I-must-finish-this-book-right-nows?Ā
Well, that took energy.
Reading is a stressful activityāa good kind of stress, but stress nonetheless. It can be just as taxing on the mind and body as anything else we pour our energy into. I think we readers forget to be mindful of our limits, of what we sometimes need as opposed to what we want. We love reading so much, and itās a vital part of who we are. So itās understandable that weād want to indulge this passion with every fiber of our being–and devour every story we can sink our talons into.Ā
But weāre also human, which means, if we donāt mind our limits, if we donāt press pause and listen, we risk suffering from reading burnout.Ā
And so, we arrive at the question at the heart of this post: What can readers do to address burnout and find their way back to their love of stories?
The answer isnāt simpleāit rarely isābut here are a handful of ideas to run away with.
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Be Generous With Your Energy:
Share It With Other Interests
Sometimes, reading burnout is a blessing in disguise. Itās a reminder that books arenāt the only outlets in the universe, and it grants us permission to explore other hobbies we might have.
By channeling our energy into other interests, weāre also switching gears. Reading can be such a competitive and demanding activity, but by stepping away, weāre also giving ourselves room to slow down and relax. To be present in the moment so we can fully enjoy it.Ā To be kind and thoughtful toward all aspects of ourselves, including hobbies weāve long neglected.
Pressing pause on reading is an opportunity to explore ourselves, too. We might try pottery, gardening, watercolor painting, orĀ spend time with our loved ones. We might dare to do something weāve always wanted to, like sky-diving or learning a new language. Little by little, along the way, we might discover pieces of ourselves we didnāt know before.
Being generous with your energy means spreading it around patiently and equally–itās having a balance of give and take between yourself and whatever you choose to do. No matter what you invest your time and energy in, make sure it gives back to you and enriches your life in some way.
Rethink Reading Goalsā
Or, Better Yet, Give Em' the Boot
Readers are some of the most competitive creatures on this planet. Between book logs, marathons, reading challenges, subscription boxes, clubs, and a bazillion other activities, we wear our love of stories on our sleeves for all to see. And when you get us together in a room? Itās magic. A totally geektastic kind of gushing that knows no boundaries.Ā
And perhaps thatās part of the problem.Ā
Readers might find themselves swept up into a whirlwind of near-constant consumption. We all make grabby hands for ARCs we desperately want, and feel awful or left out when we fail to get one. Our TBRs become mountainous gods, ever-growing with demands for what little time we possess. We see other readers filling their year with 300, 400, 500 books while the rest of us struggle to read 10 or 20. Everyone wants to know what youāve read, what youāre currently reading, what youāre going to read this year, next year, three years from now.Ā
The pressure to constantly and consistently engage with the community is palpable, demanding, and voyeuristic; we want to see others in the act of reading as much as we want to be seen reading. To be caught without a book is to call into question whether weāre really readers. Even if we know, deep down, this kind of thinking is a little silly and unhealthy–that few in our community would actually fault us for falling behind on our TBRs or failing to hit our reading goals. Still, the thought always seems to be there, buried in the background like a quiet buzz warning of hornets.Ā
This stress to participate, alongside unrealistic reading goals, might contribute to instances of sudden burnout. Part of our reading culture is focused on neglecting the self for our love of literature: from jokes about staying up all night to finish a series andĀ forgetting to eat/bathe/socialize (as if we’re less than human) to spending all of our money on books beyond our budgets.
It all kind of makes you wonder how much this feeds into our ravenous need to constantly read. Even if these are just relatable jokes (and let’s be honest, many are hilarious), they reflect beliefs/expectations we hold dear in the reading community to some degree.Ā
It’s important that we acknowledge our own needs when it comes to reading challenges and goals. It’s also important that we don’t lose sight of the more personal, introspective side to reading. That is, reading shouldn’t only be about hitting a goal. The experience should matter more than hitting some number before the year is out. Stories should bring something valuable to the table, regardless of how you choose to define what that value is. Reading should be challenging, but still enjoyable. If our reading goals feel suffocating or demanding, we need to adjust them, make them more attainable. When goals are intentional, meaningful, and personal, we find them to be more satisfying.
But honestly, some readers might find freedom in giving goals the boot, and just reading whatever the heck they want, whenever they want. By ditching challenges and goals, we’re free to approach reading as an intuitive process. We give ourselves permission to slow down, to savor the stories we truly want to invest our energy in. While there is a certain amount of missing out, especially when it comes to buzz surrounding new releases, I promise you’ll find others in the community who have pressed paused and are going at their own pace, too.
Remember: reading should be a process of challenges, but it should also be one of joy. Like with anything else in life, if the negatives outweigh the positives to the point of exhaustion, that’s a sign this approach to reading might not be for you in this moment. And that’s OKAY.
Abandon Your Comfort Zone For the Unknown
Last year, I was hit with a bad case of burnout. I couldn’t find a YA book that didn’t feel predictable, cliche, or packed with tired tropes. I could tell you how the plot would play out just by reading the summary on the back coverāand 9/10, I wasn’t wrong. This told me it was time to branch out.
Sometimes burnout might be from reading the same age category, style, form, or genre. We lose the sparkle of the unknown. Though we’re creatures of habit who cling to our reading preferencesāwe love what we loveāstepping outside our usual sphere of comfort and changing up what we’re willing to read could be helpful. It breaks us out of the monotony of expectation.
I like to press pause on my judgy inner story-geek and go on blind dates with books. Sometimes I trade in multi-book series for a standalone or ditch novels for chapter books and poetry collections. When fantasy becomes too tiresome, I inject a little fear and paranoia into my life by way of horror and thrillers.
If you’re nervous about jumping into the deep end, halfway is better than no way. Perhaps trying a genre you enjoy with one you normally wouldn’t read, such as a sci-fi horror or a paranormal romance.
It’s a risk to invest in a story outside what you’d normally enjoy, but that’s part of the beauty, isn’t it? In order to have new experiences, we need to be open to them.
Embrace Lighter Reading Mediums
Perhaps what we’re reading isn’t the issue here, but rather the emotionally heavy content, complicated plot lines, or sheer length of a single book in a series. Sometimes we simply do not have the time or energy to read 500+ pages of a Phantom Of the Opera retelling. Sometimes we’re sick of reading endless trilogies or we don’t want to be shattered again so soon after a hangover. Perhaps life is busy and we’re already tired, but hungry for a few words to carry us through.
All of these are valid feelings–ones we should take into consideration. They’re also an opportunity to step outside of what our ideas of “reading” are. The truth is, we sometimes limit ourselves to only reading long novels when there are plenty of other mediums to explore.
We live in a golden age of ever-growing opportunity: Try an audiobook. Listen to stories read aloud on BBC and spoken poetry on YouTube. Or listen to an author read from their book at the local library. Dive into web novels and comics. Pick up an anthology of short stories. Take a chance on a poem. Reflect on the lyrics of a song.
Our lives are surrounded by stories, overflowing with them. We’re not limited to the medium of holding a large novel in our hands; there’s so much more to the reading process than that. Perhaps embracing lighter mediums is a way of showing kindness to yourself; of giving yourself the room to grow, to explore, but also, to rest.
Storm the TBR Tower & Purge the Dead Weight
I’m fairly certain this advice is sacrilegious, but we’re going there.
A few months ago, I found myself exhausted and overwhelmed by the number of books I owned but never read. As I flipped through some of them, it dawned on me that it’d been years since most of them had been published, andĀ I had little to no desire to ever get to them.
Overtime, I had lost that sparkle of excitement when thinking about reading them. What replaced it was guilt, shame, frustration, and stress. The thought of keeping them was unbearably suffocating. This began a frank conversation with myself about the kind of books I was interested in IN THIS MOMENT. I longed for my reading process to be more organic and intuitive but first, I needed to purge the dead weight so I could move forward.
I call thisĀ decluttering the tbr, and it was incredibly stress-relieving because it kicked that feeling of obligation to the curb. I could breathe. I was free to read whatever my heart desired without the burden of guilt. There was room on my shelves for new possibilities, unfamiliar adventures waiting in the gaps. And in the process, I was donating the books to others who would appreciate them far more than me.
No matter the reason, we need to remember it is 1000% okay to storm the TBR tower and purge the dead weight. It’s okay for our interests and reading process to change. For our views of things we once loved to shift. It’s okay to get rid of stories that no longer spark joy in our lives, no longer hold value in the experience.
It is better to let them go, to send them off to a reader who will cherish them; and to love yourself by making space for the kind of stories you need in this moment.
Phew! This was one of my longest posts ever, and my anxiety-driven perfectionism probably didn’t help keep it concise. However, I’m so grateful to anyone who has read this far. I truly hope these pieces of insight are helpful and that, should you ever find yourself in burnout hell,Ā you’ll be comforted by the fact that it doesn’t last forever.
And…there’s good company here, too ā„
Love this!! I’m terrible for a reading burnout as I find it hard to make the time for it x
I loved this post so much because this happens to me a lot. I find my way back to reading usually during the summer because it’s when I have the most time off. I do love reading so much!
Great post! I use several of these methods myself to get out of reading slumps and reading a book of a different genre is what usually works for me.
Love this! I feel like i have reading burnout from being on my phone and just reading. From screentime and just constantly reading. Love the tips
Absolutely! I call that “scrolling fatigue” because you’re reading so many shorter pieces of content, but it’s still alot to take in. Do you find unplugging helps?
Great discussion and I like that you have some burnout/slump tips on here that I don’t see on all the lists. I’ve found a good audiobook can help a LOT with burnout (but that’s hit or miss because I have focus issues) and honestly — 97% of my burnout is from reading too much sff in a row. My brain needs things to be mixed up for sure
Kal @ Reader Voracious recently posted…Review: His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading, Kal! I tried to think of a few tips that I hadn’t seen on other lists (but wished I knew of sooner). I’m so glad everyone is finding them insightful š
Sadly, I can’t listen to most audiobooks. I have little to zero attention span for things purely spoken BUT occasionally, I’ve found a captivating narrator adds to the experience.
When do you usually noticed you’re approaching burnout?
There are definitely some books that zap my energy much more than others, so this is a great post to keep in mind for when that happens. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Anika recently posted…8 Great Beach Reads to Reach For This Summer
These are great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
This is really interesting to see what others do and think. Liked the post!
I don’t really read a lot of books, but I do read lots of blog posts š
Great tips! I hate reading burnout so much but these will be really handy for when it next happens – I think storming the tbr in particular is so important! Thanks for sharing.
Yes! It was probably the hardest to do, but so beneficial!
These are great tips and tricks! I learned a lot for your post today. š
I experiencing reading burnout when I am reading a suspense story or a story that expressing too much emotion.
So sometimes, Iād rather watch movies rather than reading a book.
I experiencing reading burnout when I am reading a suspense story or a story that expressing too much emotion.
So sometimes, I’d rather watch movies rather than reading a book.
great post! I have been there. what actually helped is starting to read a completely different genre, something my normal self wouldn’t. it worked like a charm.
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Usually I get into reading burnout when I’ve read something REALLY good, and I almost don’t want to start anything else because I know nothing will compare.
Ah, yes! The dreaded book hangover! You always know when it’s about to happen because you don’t want to finish the book right away; you wanna savor it. And once it’s done, nothing compares for a LONG time.