As a counsellor who is always assisting clients to identify ways they can be self-compassionate, I am aware of maintaining my own self-compassionate regime. My self-care regime attempts to maintain physical exercise and strength training, having space for myself, the occasional manicure or pedicure or massage and catching up with friends over a good cup of tea. When I have enough time or space in my life due to a day of rest I often curl up with a good book and a cup of tea (plus the occasional block of chocolate).
I was interested, therefore, to see some research by two psychologists in America from the University of Rochester and Princeton. They conducted a meta-study by looking at fourteen previous studies linking reading to empathy. They identified that the research strongly pointed to the ability of reading on a regular basis, and particularly reading fiction, to sustained improvement in the ability to empathise with people and an increase in emotional intelligence. It is necessary within a fictional book to follow a character, and form pictures from the concepts within the book within your own imagination in order to follow the storylines. Apparently, this capacity encourages the brain to improve in its function and to grow in areas of empathy and emotional intelligence.
A novel gives you the boundaries to align to various characters and walk a journey in their shoes. The story can encourage you to think about what characters are experiencing and to feel their pain or joy. So, with this is mind, I found my library card and walked myself to the library last week and checked out a few books with a plan to read most days and at least once a week to sit and read for an hour or two. Who knew that resting your body whilst involved in an exciting or passionate story would be good for your mind?
