LoveMyRead: your answer to easy self-care

Books boost our wellbeing and empathy and help us to be mindful. Reading even helps ease worry, anxiety and fears

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LoveMyRead: your answer to easy self-care

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Anyone whoโ€™s ever curled up with a book on a rainy Sunday morning with a mug of frothy coffee and a duvet will know of the power of books to transport us to all places beautiful.

But thereโ€™s a reason why books make us feel good. Did you know that reading puts our brains into the same state as meditation? And that โ€˜shadow activityโ€™ in the brain can trick our minds into thinking that our bodies are experiencing the same things as the characters weโ€™re reading about? Or that when we read, we trigger our mirror neurons โ€“ the empathetic parts of our minds which help us put ourselves in anotherโ€™s shoes?

So, every time we pick up a book and meet a new character, we are doing something wonderful for our self-care and emotional health. And every time a child who picks up a book and sees someone like them, with the same fears, worries, anxieties, hopes and dreams, they find themselves able to rehearse life in a way that isnโ€™t possible in reality, and to see how different scenarios might play out.

Words are truly powerful: they have the ability to transport us to other worlds, to different times and different communities. And after a year as troubling as 2020, who doesnโ€™t want to find their own escapism?

With a subscription to LoveMyRead, you could receive a beautiful, handpicked brand-new book, delivered straight to your door every month in a box packed full of goodies. Whether for yourself, a loved one, adult or child, weโ€™ve got a subscription plan to suit you. Go to www.lovemyread.com to subscribe now for as little as ยฃ15 per month and sit back, relax and soothe your soul in the company of a good book.