Reading as a Stress Indicator

I’ve noticed something interesting about my reading habits over the years: the amount I read directly correlates with how stressed or busy I am. When life is calm and manageable, I devour books. When things get hectic, my reading drops off dramatically.

This isn’t just a casual observation—it’s become a reliable barometer for my mental state. During periods of high stress or overwhelming workloads, I find myself reaching for books less and less. The stack on my nightstand grows taller, bookmarks stay in the same place for weeks, and my reading backlog continues to pile up.

Conversely, when I’m reading regularly—finishing a book every week or two, eagerly starting the next one—it’s a sign that I have the mental bandwidth and time to engage with something beyond the immediate demands of work and life. Reading requires focus, attention, and the ability to be present with a narrative or idea. When I’m too stressed or busy, those resources are depleted.

There’s something about the act of reading that demands a certain level of calm. You can’t truly absorb a book when your mind is racing through to-do lists or replaying stressful conversations. Reading is a form of mental rest, and when you’re too busy to rest, you’re too busy to read.

I’ve started paying attention to this pattern more intentionally. When I notice my reading has slowed or stopped, I take it as a signal to step back and evaluate what’s consuming my time and energy. It’s become a personal metric for work-life balance—not in the traditional sense of hours worked, but in terms of having enough mental space to engage with ideas and stories beyond the immediate demands of the day.

Perhaps the most telling part is that I don’t just read less when I’m busy—I want to read less. The desire itself diminishes. A book that would have been fascinating during a calmer period feels like too much effort when I’m overwhelmed. It’s not just about time; it’s about available mental capacity.

So here’s to making 2026 a year where I read more, not just because I want to consume more books, but because it will mean I’ve found a better balance—one where I have the space to think, reflect, and engage with ideas beyond the urgent and immediate.

As part of this, I’ll be writing about the books I do finish here on the blog. I have quite a backlog of reading that has accumulated during those busy periods, and I’m looking forward to working through it and sharing my thoughts on what I’ve read. Consider this the first in what I hope will be a series of posts about books—both as a way to process what I’ve learned and as another way to track whether I’m maintaining that balance that allows for reading in the first place.