The habit of putting a pause in reading is not as unusual as it seems to most people. The pressure of work, emotional exhaustion, distractors of the online world, or even boredom may gradually disorient books in everyday life. The positive part is that when you lose a reading habit, it does not mean you lost your ability and desire to read. The rejoining of reading is not really a matter of discipline and more of a matter of reestablishing a tender relationship with books.

Reading is not a light that can be switched on immediately. It is a rhythm, which comes slowly as one comes up to it and takes her time and comes near it.

The Real Reason You Quit Reading

Before resuming, it is worth knowing why reading fell out of your habit. To most, being in front of the screen all the time lowers the attention capacity and sitting down and reading a book becomes difficult. Some relate reading to pressure, even to reading fast, reading big important books, or to unrealistic expectations.

The realization of this assists you in getting guilt out. There is nothing wrong with reading that stopped. It is just a habit that is to be re-established in a healthier manner.

Begin Small with No Hopes

Attempting to resume reading at the point at which you left off is one of the greatest mistakes made when returning to reading. The head can be bogged down by long hours, bulky books or stiff deadlines.

Start with only a few minutes a day. It is just enough to read one or two pages. It is not progress but reconnection. The length of time is not as important as consistency, and it is discussed in The Power of Book Reading: Reading as a Way of Life, Making the Mind and Focus as well.

Choose Comfort Reads First

It is not that moment to read heavy or demanding books unless you really want to. Select books which are friendly and pleasant. When starting again, familiar authors, light fiction, short essays or inspirational non-fiction is a good help.

Comfort reading is a natural way of rebuilding focus and eliminates resistance. Entertainment is the quickest method of returning to a reading pace.

Restore a Relaxing Reading Area

Your reading capacity is highly dependent on the environment that you live in. Select a specific site where distractions are kept to a minimum. Place your phone in a separate place or on mute so as not to be interrupted.

The same reading position, like before bed or the early morning, helps the brain understand that it is time to relax. Gradually, this association reacts and makes reading easy once again.

Read Without Stress to Complete

The fact is one of the reasons why people quit reading is that everyone thinks that a book is supposed to be read to the very end. Such an attitude makes reading a compulsion.

Give yourself time to stop, reread or even give up on those books which fail to resonate with you. Reading is not something to do, it is something to engage in. Such a flexibility eliminates mental resistance and renders reading sustainable once again.

Reading as a Reset, Not as a Task

It is best to think of reading after an extended interlude as self-care, and not as productivity. It allows the mind to relax, emotional balance to be improved and refocus books.

Even brief reading sessions can help reduce the noise in the human mind and add clarity as well, which is why it is important to remember that reading is not about performance but well-being.

Associate Reading with a Current Practice

In order to be memorable, stick it to something you already do every day. Reading at night, before bed, or on a commute, will eliminate the effort required to schedule the time.

With this use of the habit-stacking strategy, reading returns to everyday life without stress and coercion.

Rebuild Focus Gradually

The concentration can be poor after an extended break. This is normal. Attention is in its turn restrained by reading.

As opposed to battling to be distracted, just bring your focus back to the page when it gets diverted. The benefits of concentration brought by each return give in to the mental advantages detailed in The Power of Book Reading: Reading as a Way of Life, Making the Mind and Focus.

Allow Reading to Develop Spontaneously

You might no longer be interested in what you were reading. Let your taste develop without prejudice. Reading is an individual process, not an identity.

It is only important to appear consistently even in a short period of time. With time reading becomes easy once again.

Conclusion

There is no need to be motivated or to follow set rules in order to resume reading after a long break. It takes compassion, tolerance and naivety. Reading is easily re-introduced into everyday life by beginning small, selecting books one enjoys, eliminating stress, and establishing a relaxing atmosphere.

Reading is not an experience that you repeat. It is something you reconstruct page by page, until it becomes a mode of being—a mode of being which makes you more focused, more thoughtful and tranquil in a busy world.