Why Reading Counts as Self-Care

I don’t know about you, but I am busy AF. Between teaching high school full time, grading 143 essays (seriously—why did I choose to be an English teacher again? Oh right, because books are my job), working through grad school, and just life… some days it feels impossible to fit in everything I want to do, plus have any semblance of self-care practice.

Here’s what I do know: reading is not a waste of time. It’s not lazy. It’s not indulgent. Reading is a legitimate form of rest—and one of the few things that actually makes me feel like a human again. Research even backs it up: reading increases compassion, helps us learn, and makes us less likely to fall for fake news (take that, Facebook comment sections).

Of course, when your to-do list is a mile long, it’s easy to feel guilty for sinking into a book. I get it. Reading doesn’t fold laundry or cook dinner. But here’s the thing: when you take time for yourself, whether that’s five minutes with a romance novel before bed or a whole Saturday with a fantasy brick of a book, you come back more present, more rested, and honestly, a better version of yourself.

And hey, I’ve read my fair share of stinkers (we don’t talk about those). But that’s why I created my free TBR Organizing Email Series—so you can clear the guilt, ditch the bad books, and fill your stack with reads that actually light you up.

The Mental Benefits of Reading

Reading is one of the simplest—and sneakiest—ways to reduce stress (unless you’re bingeing thrillers at midnight, but we’ll set those aside for now). Studies show that escaping into a story can lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is that pesky stress hormone responsible for racing hearts, tense muscles, poor digestion, and restless nights. Curling up with a book before bed isn’t just cozy—it can support heart health, improve sleep hygiene, and help you wake up more rested.

When life feels overwhelming, reading offers a healthy escape. By stepping away from the constant noise of everyday stressors and immersing yourself in words on a page, you’re giving your brain a chance to breathe. That little pocket of quiet becomes a form of mindfulness—your focus narrows, anxiety slows, and your mind resets.

And then there’s the emotional magic. Stories allow us to experience joy, grief, anger, and love through someone else’s perspective. This vicarious journey not only helps us process our own emotions, but also builds empathy and emotional awareness. Watching how characters navigate (or totally fumble) their feelings teaches us something about our own. That growth in emotional competence is one of the most powerful mental health benefits of reading.

Reading as Self-Care: The Physical Benefits

Let’s be real: our phones are not helping us wind down at night. The blue light from scrolling TikTok or doom-scrolling news messes with melatonin levels, which means your brain thinks it’s party time instead of bedtime. Reading from a physical book (or even an e-reader with a warm light setting) is like telling your brain, “Shhh, it’s time to go to sleep now.” Bonus: better sleep and fewer 2 AM existential crises.

Reading also helps you step away from screens in general. Less screen time means less eye strain, fewer headaches, and fewer hours lost to “accidentally” watching an entire season of Schitt’s Creek when you only meant to watch the episode where Moira and Johnny try to go buy a car from the used car lot… not that this oddly specific incident has ever happened to me?

Spoiler alert: it has.

And if you pair reading with a cozy ritual, like curling up with a cozy blanket or sipping on a cup of your favorite tea, you’re relaxing your mind and lowering muscle tension, too. Adding a book to your comfort ritual is like writing a love letter to your body.

Remember lockdown? (Sorry for the flashback.) Life felt isolating in a way that was both heavy and weirdly endless. Even now, during long weekends or school breaks, that same loneliness can sometimes creep in. Enter: books. Curling up with tea and a story full of realistic, lovable (or at least relatable) characters can feel like the friend you didn’t know you needed. If you’re hunting for a book character bestie, I’d point you toward Martha in The Frozen River or Eleanor from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Both will keep you excellent company.

Beyond companionship, books help us build empathy. They let us step into another person’s shoes and walk around for a while—just like Harper Lee reminded us in To Kill a Mockingbird. And if you already read that one back in high school (thank your English teacher), there are plenty of other empathy-boosters. Try Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Pat Conroy’s The Great Santini, or Chris Crutcher’s Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. These books are powerful not only because they’re beautifully written, but also because they invite you into lives and experiences so different from your own.

And then there’s the social side of reading—the book club magic. Finding (or starting) the right club can feel like stumbling into your own little community. Love murder mysteries? Gather some friends and pick up Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (a forever student favorite). More into sci-fi? You can’t go wrong with Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and other space adventures. Honestly, whatever your vibe, there’s a book club for it—or you can start one. And if the idea of running your own book club sounds both thrilling and terrifying, I’ve got you. Check out my post on How to Start a Book Club for encouragement, ideas, and zero-pressure ways to get rolling.

Practical Self-Care Reading Rituals

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again, because I will die on this hill): every reader deserves a cozy nook. It doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy and you don’t need a bay window and built-in shelves, although I think we’d all like that. A chair with a soft blanket, a few pillows, and some warm lighting can do the trick. Stock it with books and little things that make you happy, and suddenly you’ve got a go-to space where your brain knows, ah, this is where we rest.

If you’re more into rituals, reading can tag-team with all the classic self-care moves: tea, candles, bubble baths, fuzzy socks. Reading in a bubble-filled tub? Elite. Reading with a steaming mug of chamomile tea? Iconic. Reading under a weighted blanket? Transcendent.

For the planners out there: schedule it. Literally. Add “reading appointment” to your calendar like you would a doctor’s visit or a meeting. The difference is this appointment is way more fun and requires no copay. Treat it as non-negotiable—you’re a busy woman, but you’re also allowed to take 20 minutes for yourself.

And if the biggest hurdle is picking a book (is your TBR pile judging you as you read this?), try corralling your “next-up” reads into a basket or a single shelf. That way, choosing your next book feels less like digging through chaos and more like browsing your own personal bookstore. Pro tip: rotate them often so the basket feels fresh and not like a graveyard of books you’ve been avoiding since 2019.

Overcoming Guilt & Barriers

Here’s the thing: reading doesn’t have to be “serious” to count. If you’re into YA and would rather hang out in The House in the Cerulean Sea (T.J. Klune) or The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)—or, you know, a non-house-related book (totally unintentional, I promise)—then rock on with your bad self.

Prefer audiobooks? Same. If Julia Whelan is narrating, I don’t even check the book description—I just hit play. Audiobooks are reading, period. (Yes, you can quote me, a high school English teacher, on that at your next family dinner debate.)

And please, let’s retire the guilt over “only” reading for 10 minutes. Ten minutes is still ten minutes more than someone who didn’t crack open a book at all. That counts. You count. End of story.

At the end of the day, reading is whatever reading is for you. If your eyeballs are moving over a page and decoding those squiggly little symbols into meaning—or if your ears are soaking up sound waves and somehow turning them into a fully fleshed-out story in your brain—you, my friend, are a reader. No qualifiers. No guilt.

Life already hands us plenty of reasons to feel pressure or stress. Don’t let the “right” way to read be one of them. Books are here to comfort, entertain, and restore you—so let them.

Ok, now what?

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you to incorporate reading as self care and to use reading as stress relief, but now you want to know what to do next. Start by picking just one thing I suggested…

Join a book club.
Sort out your TBR books into one spot.
Read while you relax in the tub this week.

Whatever you pick, let it be done in service of your mental health and relaxation. If something doesn’t help you feel more calm or regulated, then scrap that and try something else.