Concentration Whilst Reading

I use reading as a stress reliever. We all have something that makes us a little less stressed or calms us down, and that’s reading for me. I struggle with anxiety and mainly i struggle to get out of my own head sometimes, so lying in bed with no distractions with a book is quite a good way to leave the world behind for a little while.

However, recently i’ve found it increasingly difficult to focus on a book. No matter how much i love the book, how much i’ve been excited to read it or how engrossed i have been previously, i cannot for the life of me focus on what i’m reading.

This is getting more frustrating because it means i’m rereading a lot of the same pages that i’ve skimmed over when my mind has wandered. I’ve learnt that if something is on my mind, no matter how small, reading will not stop me thinking about it. And that’s the most frustrating thing of all, the fact that the one thing that calms me down and relaxes me just doesn’t work.

I wondered if anyone else has had problems with focusing on reading, and particularly with struggling to concentrate on what they’re trying to read. How did you overcome this problem?

I would like to get back in to the swing of reading as soon as possible. Sometimes it takes a good story to lift your mood and change your attitude, to leave the world behind for a little bit. That’s what i really do love about reading. But when your mind is wandering every few pages it gets incredibly frustrating, even just picking a book up can annoy me because i know i wont cope with just sitting there and skimming the pages, picking up none of the story.

Anyway, if you have any tips or tricks that might help me concentrate a little better, that would be absolutely great. Or even some books that you think my attention wouldn’t waver from!

Happy reading!