Lose yourself in a book. Properly lose yourself.
Find flow. Disengage from the outside world for a while and step into someone else’s story, someone else’s world, a different time, a different place. This is not a luxury — it is essential for a curious, creative, well-nourished mind.
Read widely. Fiction, non-fiction, biography, history. Books that challenge you and books that comfort you. Listen to audiobooks in the car or on long walks. Borrow from friends, buy second-hand, discover the library. Reading expands your vocabulary, broadens your perspective, fills you with things to think about and discuss. Readers are curious people. And curiosity is one of the greatest qualities there is.
I lost my voice for a while — through isolation and a collapse in self-confidence. I know what it is to feel small and unsure of yourself in conversation. Reading gave me back my depth. It gave me things to talk about, ideas to hold onto, worlds that reminded me how enormous and interesting life is.
Pair your reading with journalling. Write about what you’re reading. Write down the ideas it sparks, the memories it stirs, the questions it raises. This is not homework — it is how you go deeper. Handwriting your response to something you’ve read helps you process and own the ideas in a way that simply reading doesn’t. It makes the knowledge yours.
Your wellbeing flourishes when your mind is engaged and growing. Read. Write. Repeat.