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I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today, and then I came across this interesting article on how reading can reduce stress. Since I love to read, and I also love anything that can help me reduce stress, I thought this would be a great post for today.

Are you stressed about the economy? Your job? Your kids? Politics? It’s no secret that life is very stressful these days. So…What can we do to reduce stress? Apparently, reading a book is one of the best ways to reduce stress.

Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%.

New research by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex says reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

Are you a reader? Does it help you relax and de-stress?

Reading definitely helps me quiet my mind and relax. And when I’m feeling stressed out, I always try to get to bed a little earlier and do some reading. What about you?

Stressed Out? Read a Novel…

An article in the Telegraph about how reading reduces stress–even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds:

Psychologists believe this is because the human mind has to concentrate on reading and the distraction of being taken into a literary world eases the tensions in muscles and the heart…

Sassymonkey wrote Take Me Away: Excapist Reading

Sometimes life… well it just needs escaping.

A recent article in Reuters suggested that people are turning more to escapist reading, especially thrillers. I think that sometimes we just need to step away from life and plunge into something different, even if only for ten minutes at a time.

What type of books do you like to read to de-stress? I have to admit, for me it’s inspirational books, I wrote about it during BlogHer’s 61 Days To Better Health series…

I have always thought that a big part of better health is better mental health. When we feel good emotionally, we usually feel better physically. For me, better mental health can be as simple as reading an inspirational quote, aspiration, or meditation.

What book would you recommend to other BlogHers who want to de-stress? Let me know in comments.

Also See:

• Stress and the Single Woman
• From Between Us Girls – Take Action To Reduce Stress
• Health Benefits of Reading

Contributing Editor BlogHer Heath & Fitness
also at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope