During the pandemic, I provided counseling for several health care providers. These dedicated medical professionals faced overwhelming stress due to:
- Patients dying at an increasingly higher rate.
- Longer hours of work, changing work conditions, and schedule changes.
- Significant risk of getting sick, and/or dying themselves.
- Risk of spreading the disease to family members at risk.
My clients desperately needed stress-reduction tools to help them through a challenging time. One client, I’ll call Mary, worried that she might have to leave the nursing profession due to the extreme stress she suffered.
As Mary and I discussed her stress management options, I asked her, “What gives you pleasure every day?”
“Reading. If I can put my feet up and escape into a great story, I feel restored,” Mary said.
Researchers found that deeply immersing ourselves in fictional worlds, talking about books with others, and reflecting on stories can improve mood, well-being, and lower our distress (Carney, 2022). Fiction broadens our perspective, allowing us to consider possibilities rather than dwelling on our limitations.
Therapists often recommend books, a practice known as “bibliotherapy,” to help patients with a variety of mental health conditions. In my own practice, I’ve found that those clients who read novels can find strength and inspiration from fictional characters who triumph over adversity.
From Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield to Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, stories of overcoming poverty, abuse, trauma, neglect, and societal conflicts illuminate the path to our own resilience.
Dr. Janina Scarlet, author of Superhero Therapy: A Hero’s Journey Through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, utilizes identification with superheroes to help individuals discover the strength they never knew they possessed. She helps people who struggle with trauma, depression, and anxiety. Dr. Scarlet guides them to explore the superhero inside themselves. She points out that every superhero in movies and comic books begins with a tragic origin. Each also possesses a weakness or vulnerability that causes them suffering. Still, we admire these figures as they fight for something worthy (Scarlet, 2016).
Reading fiction has been found to reduce symptoms of depression, improve self-confidence, social skills, and empathy (Kidd, 2013; Petterson, 2018). Those who work in stressful jobs, like my client, Mary, often find that the balance of sitting down to read, with a comforting cup of coffee or tea, can lower stress and produce a mild feeling of joy and contentment.
Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher in the field of positive psychology, found that positive emotions, such as mild contentment, counteract the cardiovascular effects of stress and help us recover more quickly from adverse events (Fredrickson, 1998). When Mary finds herself engrossed in an enjoyable story, her heart rate lowers and her stress level goes down. When she reflects on the story, or anticipates reading the following chapters, the mild boost of pleasure can continue to buffer the negative effects of her stressful job.
Reading literary fiction, as opposed to nonfiction or popular fiction, has been shown to enhance theory of mind, the understanding that other people hold desires and beliefs that may differ from one’s own (Kidd, 2013). Literary fiction tends to focus on larger themes, style, and character. Popular fiction tends to focus more on plot and a specific genre with expected themes and formulas. For example, thrillers and detective fiction focus heavily on plot to keep you turning the pages. The romance genre has specific expected outcomes that readers love.
Literary fiction enables us to delve more deeply into the private inner thoughts and motivations of characters. These books tend to have a slower pace, allowing you to linger on the language, atmosphere, and explore more profound thoughts and themes. When we take the time to read literary fiction, it can help life slow down a bit. You must pay attention to hold the setting and characters in your imagination.
The capacity to understand others’ emotions and desires is essential in this complex social world. Empathy strengthens relationships and makes us more likable and trustworthy. A lack of empathy is associated with antisocial personalities, which are destructive to human society. As the famed author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, writes, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
As Mary and I talked in the session about books she loved, and books she’d like to read next, her mood visibly changed. Her face relaxed, and she smiled more. I recommended that she focus on books and reading whenever she felt too much stress. Because discussing books with others can deepen one’s appreciation, I encouraged Mary to join a book club.
A few weeks later, Mary reported, “Your prescription to read has given me permission to prioritize my reading time. That has really helped me cope better. I also went to my first book club meeting, and I love it!”
This year, I’ve read a few works of literary fiction that I recommend:
- Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.
- Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips.
- The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong.
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang.
For young adult readers:
- The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally L. Pla.
- All of Me by Chris Barron.
Your local librarian can help you find literary fiction in alignment with your interests. You can also look for recommendations from the New York Times book review section, your local newspaper, or bookstore. George R. R. Martin, famed author of A Game of Thrones, says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… The man who never reads lives only one.”
Give yourself the gift of reading. The journey of a thousand lives can start right now.
