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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Tea and Biscuits Book Discussion: How To Get Out Of Reading Slumps

by | May 2, 2016 | Tea and Biscuits Discussions | 14 comments

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If any of you have read for a while, or read quite a bit, than more than likely your familiarย with “reading slumps”. Now these are the worst case scenario that can happen to any reader. I abhorย these with a passion and will do anything to keep myself from entering into one of these “slumps”. A Reading Slump is where you have no interest in reading. You can’t seem to find reading fun or interesting anymore, and have the most difficult time getting into a book. I avoid these moments when I can, but many times you can’t get away from them. Its like a sickness like the common cold…the happen when they happen and there isn’t much you can do to avoid it. The first five years or so of reading I NEVER got reading slumps. But they started to happen when I started a blog. Probably because I was splitting my focus, and some books were requested from authors or ARC’s and I felt more pressure while reading. And then I had to take breaks from blogging and reading and I had to try many various ways to get out them.

 

Eating Healthy and Exerciseย 

I know this sounds kinda crazy to get out of a reading slump, but I have found that when I keep up a healthy lifestyle, that my life balances out, I feel more refreshed and have more energy. I have worked out on and off over the past ten years since starting college. But the past two years I wasn’t able to do much workinig out since I had a lot of dental pain and it took a while to get it all taken care of. So its pretty hard to exercise when your mouth is in pain. However ever since I got caught up I have been able to keep up on this, and not only have my slumps minimized but also they only last a day or so instead of a week or even a month!!

Re-Readingย Old Personal Favoritesย 

Now this is the most common and used one for many people and it can work just wonders!!! Whenever I have a hard time picking up a book, or feel no interest in reading, I go back to the old favorites. This is the most used process that I use. And it works every single time. So if you haven’t done this, try it and it just might help ya out. Here are some examples of books that help me get out of my reading slumps pretty quickly.

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Take A Day Road Trip

Now sometimes its good to spend some time out in nature and get away from the city. It can be so refreshing to do something different and take a breath away from all the stresses of life ย and spend the day with husband, kids, boyfriends or some girlfriends or siblings.

Go To The Spa or Do A Spa At Home Treatmentย 

Now these can be so fun to do!! Most of the time I will do these at home since financially I can’t afford to go to a spa. But one day I will go to a spa and get a treatment. But there are so many home remedies that can help ease stress and give your mind and body a way to find balance again. I have noticed that when I struggle with reading, it’s normally because I am overstressed or unbalanced whether it’s mentally, emotionally or physically. My personal favorite is a tonic bath: Epsom Salt, Lavender Essential Oil (Or whichever one you prefer, but Lavender is great for the skin and relaxation) and some baking soda. Just soak in hot water for 20 mins and you feel loads better!!

Getting Enough Sleep and Drinking The Right Amount of Water

Many times I have noticed, that if I am not getting 8 hours of sleep every night, or lacking my right amount of water (for most generally, it’s 64 oz of water this can change depending on age, weight, and amount of time you’re in the sun or working out) I have a difficult time focusing and that is why I am struggling with a reading slump. Is my body is weary and I can’t concentrate or focus.

Take A Break From Readingย 

I know many of us, this is like torture!! Not read??? WHAT??!!! NOOO!!!!!! Worst feeling ever is realizing that you might have to stop reading for a while. I have only had to do this twice in my life. Sometimes all you need is a few days but once I had to do it for a few weeks!!! That was awful, but then I started working on other projects ย like Gardening, Adult Coloring, Genealogy Research, Sewing or Scrapbook or whatever hobbies you love doing the most!!

Step Away From ARC’s

Now I know that this can be so difficult to do, but in the long run you will thank yourself. They are free books right?? You get to read books earlier than many others and it can be so thrilling at times. But it can also be stressful because there are deadlines to these books unless its been sent to you personally from the author or mailed to you. But even then the publisher or author want it read and reviewed by a certain time. I don’t know about you, but this can put a strain on you and affect your enjoyment of reading. I usually will pick up a book on my TBR or read a library book.

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14 Comments

  1. Nick

    I’ve been using my slump to do other things as well and exercising is one of those things. It’s actually quite fun! ๐Ÿ™‚
    Re-reading favorites is definitely a great choice. And yes to stepping away from the arcs. In the long run, it’s a great choice.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh yes isn’t working out so great??!!! I just love the challenge of it

      I agree about ARC’s, they can be very overwhelming and stressful. So I have to be careful in how many I request each month.

      Reply
  2. LilyElement

    I was in a slump not too long ago. It sucked and I just kept reading and not liking books lol. This is all good advice ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh that is awful!! I hate that…especially when you want to love a book but CANT!! It makes you want to throw the book against the wall. hehe

      Reply
  3. Quinn's Book Nook

    Reading Slumps are absolutely the worst! Rereading old favorites is always helpful for me. Also to take a week to not worry about it. After a week, I do tend to start trying to get out of it. But taking a break for week is never a bad thing. I should try getting more exercise though. That’s a great suggestion.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Oh they are my worst nightmare. I do think exercise does a lot for the human both both mentally, emotionally and physically, and it always tends to help me with reading slumps and when I do more exercise I don’t get them as often!! So I highly recommend it.

      Reply
  4. Blodeuedd

    I so need sleep, I need more 8 or I get cranky. And if I try to read then I will just fall asleep

    Reply
  5. Carol Cork

    Renee, luckily I have never been in a reading slump. My problem is not having enough time to read all the books I would like to. This year I decided not to accept review requests, other than from top favourite authors, in an effort to reduce my personal TBR pile.

    Reply
  6. Braine TS

    I get them all the time, I’d like to add switching genre’s, reading shorties, or binge watching movies or shows helps cure the exhaustion too.

    Reply
  7. Sophia Rose

    These are good tips for reading slumps. I’ve never been in a full-blown one, but mini slumps happen occasionally. I found the biggest thing I had to do was not read as many review books in a row. I have no trouble balancing reading with other outlets of life, but reading too many books where I constantly had to be ‘on’ when I read and read for a deadline got wearying. Now I take less reviews and will actually set aside review books to take up others off my shelf and not necessarily in my typical genre (like Braine suggested). One of my reading goals is to be at 50/50 for reviews and personal reads by the end of the year. I want to finish off my back pile of reviews so I can do that. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Appreciate the discussion, Renee!

    Reply
  8. Jennifer_FairyTales

    All of these are great tips! I usually try to re-read, read something completely different, or just take a reading break for a weekend.

    Reply
  9. Anna@herding cats&burning soup

    LOL our ways are so different! I rarely get them thankfully but when I do I tend to do other bloggy things or watch tv until I’m in the mood again. That seems to be the way to go for me. *fingers crossed* I don’t have it happen any time soon. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  10. Stephanie @Once Upon a Chapter

    There are SO many great recommendations here! Great job on putting these together! I’m definitely going to try the bath idea. It’s just awesome to feel less stressed and I know this helps.

    I try reading a childhood favorite. They are simple and evoke good reading memories. ๐Ÿ™‚ I love that Devil in Winter is one of those re-reads for you.

    I stopped requesting so many books from NetGalley because it stressed me out and made reading far less fun. It’s really hard to say no so most of the time I don’t even go looking for them anymore.

    Reply
  11. Cyn @ Bookmunchies

    Great suggestions! My usual go-to is definitely to re-read old favourites and taking a break from ARCs. It’s a different feeling of having to read something for review (i.e. keep note of things) vs. just reading and not worrying.

    Reply

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