For me, I find that I am unable to read with enjoyment when I'm depressed. It's not that my mind is focused on anything else, it's just that the books I'm reading don't pull me in, and I very much want them to! This is happening to me right now. I would not say that, in general, I am very depressed right now. I've been there before, and this isn't that. But... I've switched from book to book to book. No love. And even streaming the series I really love isn't doing it for me, although it's still better than trying to read. So, I've taken to reading articles in the NY Times, trying to figure out Wordle. Maybe I'll FINALLY start walking and listening to all of the podcasts I haven't listened to since I started working from home! I'll let you know how it goes if you keep me in the loop, too! Love you so!
I wonder if we all go through periods of not being able to land on something good to read, and that's a very personal thing, isn't it. I can read through depression, usually. Laurie, have you tried audiobooks? Podcasts sound fun, especially if you're walking when you're listening. Yes, let me know how it goes, Laurie, and I'll keep you in the loop, too. love you!
Music. Lean into music. With or without lyrics, music, like reading and writing, tells a story, yet requires nothing active from us. Not even our full attention. Music, even when it shifts into the background, has the ability to trigger the release of emotion, soothe, and bring healing. Maybe music can hold the space...bridge the gap...until you're reading and writing more again. xo
Of course! We just talked about this when you were here and I forgot already. I like the idea of music holding space and bridging the gap. And it's always been a great trigger for releasing emotion. Thanks, Lisa!
And...it's great for shifting emotion/energy. Forgot to mention that, but it's one of my favorite ways to get my butt moving when my energy is dragging or I'm feeling especially unmotivated. ; ) Ooo...and...Did I tell you Justin has made himself a music room in his new place?! For his guitars...and the keyboard he just bought. He's going to start playing that again too.
Me too, after my mother died. I couldn't concentrate enough. I think I eventually read short things in "spiritual" anthologies -- not quite poetry, not quite essays. But you are probably reading poetry, right? Maybe poetry, which speaks to the nonlinear parts of our brains, is where you are right now...
Yes, of course! I forgot that I'm reading poetry too. I do that every day, like brushing my teeth, so I forget that it counts as reading, and it has been very helpful. Thanks for that reminder, Anne, and for suggesting that poetry is where I am right now. I know I'll return to books--all in good time.
And just after writing that, Davide gave me a book of short stories ("Bad Thoughts" by Nada Alic) that has this epigraph: "Instead of pathologizing every human quirk, we should say, 'By the grace of this behavior, this individual has found it possible to continue.'" (Sarah Manguso, 300 Arguments) -- I love that, and I love the idea of a book of one-paragraph arguments.
Verna, I haven’t read a book since Jan died. I can’t concentrate enough. It’s frustrating. I hope you can find the comfort in reading that you used to have 😘
That's rough on a Reader, isn't it! I'm going to try and keep trying. I really miss reading. This morning a friend reminded me that listening to audiobooks is also reading, so maybe I'll do more of that. I'll let you know how it goes. Would you let me know when you start reading again?
There was a time I seemed to stay away from fiction. It was a time that seemed like a blessing & a curse. Blessing because I was given money to go ahead with a project I deemed important for the community. It turned out to show me that even if it is needed, people take it differently. This turned out to be a curse for me. The chaos it created within my body resulted in a complete break down which has taken over a decade to recover from. During the time of the busyness I was reading only non-fiction. I was busy 7 days a week. Once I collapsed in despair, I surrendered to the reality of it I decided I needed to balance the non-fiction with fiction. This started my recovery.
I recently attended a virtual retreat. I do this on a quarterly basis. The theme for this last one was pilgrimage. It came to me that I wanted to embark on a pilgrimage with books in a specific way. I wrote down 'A Year Long Pilgrimage Through Books' - spiritual books in particular. I will choose a book a month whereby I shall read and sit with. I have read lots of spiritual books in the past but I am taking a different posture this time. I will take more time contemplating what is in the books. Perhaps even write down questions. I just started one this month. I didn't intend to start yet but when I was at the library there was a book I knew about and never imagined seeing at my library (which is small) so I picked it up.
I found books on cultural fairy tales to be helpful. Perhaps because they are short tales I could read and then think about. I love the Chinese, Japanese, Russian tales and I have read the Finnish book (The Kalevala) but wouldn't recommend it now since it is a long tale but infinitely wonderful - probably for another time.
Interesting to hear you talk about turning to non-fiction. I finally landed on a good book: No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism. I still can't read fiction, but I know it will come back. Thanks for sharing your idea about a pilgrimage with books. I love that idea and may try my own version when my life settles down a bit. Have you read Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty? That's a good once for contemplation because the chapters are short and pithy. I'd love to hear more as your move along this journey.
Oh, Verna, I am sorry for this -- my heart aches for your loss and sadness, and surely you will come back to reading when the time is right. I’m sending you love and more love.
Thank you, Elizabeth. It's been quite something. I often feel stripped of everything I know or thought I knew. I am fortunate in that I have family and friends who hold me up. And I have enough experience to know that this worst part will pass--and I don't know what will be on the other side. Much love to you, too, my friend.
My husband died three weeks ago and I cannot read either. Except for true crime stories! Weird that they hold my attention! …I did try Audible books to help me sleep…problem is they don’t turn off and I don’t know where I nodded off. …I teach college and am prepping for a new course (History of The Middle Ages and Renaissance) and cannot “get with it” so I got an Audible crime story set in Medieval times (“The Daughter of Time.”) It worked!
Meg, I am sorry to hear about your husband. I wish you well during this time of mourning. I read The Daughter of Time ages ago. Maybe I'll try that one again. Glad to hear it worked. Your course sounds interesting. I studied Renaissance poetry in college and loved it. It sounds like a good project to keep you moving forward. Thanks for commenting.
For me, I find that I am unable to read with enjoyment when I'm depressed. It's not that my mind is focused on anything else, it's just that the books I'm reading don't pull me in, and I very much want them to! This is happening to me right now. I would not say that, in general, I am very depressed right now. I've been there before, and this isn't that. But... I've switched from book to book to book. No love. And even streaming the series I really love isn't doing it for me, although it's still better than trying to read. So, I've taken to reading articles in the NY Times, trying to figure out Wordle. Maybe I'll FINALLY start walking and listening to all of the podcasts I haven't listened to since I started working from home! I'll let you know how it goes if you keep me in the loop, too! Love you so!
I wonder if we all go through periods of not being able to land on something good to read, and that's a very personal thing, isn't it. I can read through depression, usually. Laurie, have you tried audiobooks? Podcasts sound fun, especially if you're walking when you're listening. Yes, let me know how it goes, Laurie, and I'll keep you in the loop, too. love you!
Music. Lean into music. With or without lyrics, music, like reading and writing, tells a story, yet requires nothing active from us. Not even our full attention. Music, even when it shifts into the background, has the ability to trigger the release of emotion, soothe, and bring healing. Maybe music can hold the space...bridge the gap...until you're reading and writing more again. xo
Of course! We just talked about this when you were here and I forgot already. I like the idea of music holding space and bridging the gap. And it's always been a great trigger for releasing emotion. Thanks, Lisa!
And...it's great for shifting emotion/energy. Forgot to mention that, but it's one of my favorite ways to get my butt moving when my energy is dragging or I'm feeling especially unmotivated. ; ) Ooo...and...Did I tell you Justin has made himself a music room in his new place?! For his guitars...and the keyboard he just bought. He's going to start playing that again too.
That's great news about Justin's music room! I forgot he was moving. I'll try music next time we go down to the house to do more packing. Thanks!
Me too, after my mother died. I couldn't concentrate enough. I think I eventually read short things in "spiritual" anthologies -- not quite poetry, not quite essays. But you are probably reading poetry, right? Maybe poetry, which speaks to the nonlinear parts of our brains, is where you are right now...
Yes, of course! I forgot that I'm reading poetry too. I do that every day, like brushing my teeth, so I forget that it counts as reading, and it has been very helpful. Thanks for that reminder, Anne, and for suggesting that poetry is where I am right now. I know I'll return to books--all in good time.
And just after writing that, Davide gave me a book of short stories ("Bad Thoughts" by Nada Alic) that has this epigraph: "Instead of pathologizing every human quirk, we should say, 'By the grace of this behavior, this individual has found it possible to continue.'" (Sarah Manguso, 300 Arguments) -- I love that, and I love the idea of a book of one-paragraph arguments.
Verna, I haven’t read a book since Jan died. I can’t concentrate enough. It’s frustrating. I hope you can find the comfort in reading that you used to have 😘
That's rough on a Reader, isn't it! I'm going to try and keep trying. I really miss reading. This morning a friend reminded me that listening to audiobooks is also reading, so maybe I'll do more of that. I'll let you know how it goes. Would you let me know when you start reading again?
I’ll be glad to do that. Hope it happens soon.
I am so sorry for your loss.
There was a time I seemed to stay away from fiction. It was a time that seemed like a blessing & a curse. Blessing because I was given money to go ahead with a project I deemed important for the community. It turned out to show me that even if it is needed, people take it differently. This turned out to be a curse for me. The chaos it created within my body resulted in a complete break down which has taken over a decade to recover from. During the time of the busyness I was reading only non-fiction. I was busy 7 days a week. Once I collapsed in despair, I surrendered to the reality of it I decided I needed to balance the non-fiction with fiction. This started my recovery.
I recently attended a virtual retreat. I do this on a quarterly basis. The theme for this last one was pilgrimage. It came to me that I wanted to embark on a pilgrimage with books in a specific way. I wrote down 'A Year Long Pilgrimage Through Books' - spiritual books in particular. I will choose a book a month whereby I shall read and sit with. I have read lots of spiritual books in the past but I am taking a different posture this time. I will take more time contemplating what is in the books. Perhaps even write down questions. I just started one this month. I didn't intend to start yet but when I was at the library there was a book I knew about and never imagined seeing at my library (which is small) so I picked it up.
I found books on cultural fairy tales to be helpful. Perhaps because they are short tales I could read and then think about. I love the Chinese, Japanese, Russian tales and I have read the Finnish book (The Kalevala) but wouldn't recommend it now since it is a long tale but infinitely wonderful - probably for another time.
Interesting to hear you talk about turning to non-fiction. I finally landed on a good book: No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism. I still can't read fiction, but I know it will come back. Thanks for sharing your idea about a pilgrimage with books. I love that idea and may try my own version when my life settles down a bit. Have you read Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty? That's a good once for contemplation because the chapters are short and pithy. I'd love to hear more as your move along this journey.
Oh, Verna, I am sorry for this -- my heart aches for your loss and sadness, and surely you will come back to reading when the time is right. I’m sending you love and more love.
Thank you, Elizabeth. It's been quite something. I often feel stripped of everything I know or thought I knew. I am fortunate in that I have family and friends who hold me up. And I have enough experience to know that this worst part will pass--and I don't know what will be on the other side. Much love to you, too, my friend.
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/08/gateway-reading-pandemic-books/671051/
Thank you, Meg. Interesting article. Have you read any of the books on the list? Any recommendations?
My husband died three weeks ago and I cannot read either. Except for true crime stories! Weird that they hold my attention! …I did try Audible books to help me sleep…problem is they don’t turn off and I don’t know where I nodded off. …I teach college and am prepping for a new course (History of The Middle Ages and Renaissance) and cannot “get with it” so I got an Audible crime story set in Medieval times (“The Daughter of Time.”) It worked!
Meg, I am sorry to hear about your husband. I wish you well during this time of mourning. I read The Daughter of Time ages ago. Maybe I'll try that one again. Glad to hear it worked. Your course sounds interesting. I studied Renaissance poetry in college and loved it. It sounds like a good project to keep you moving forward. Thanks for commenting.