Hey all and happy Sunday! I hope your year has been going well. A quick update on my week involved getting my mom to attend a therapy session with me, and then I injured my achilles tendon taking a slow step in my house. Only me, I swear! Who else has these kind of problems? Luckily I didn’t have anything more serious than a strained achilles, but I’m in a boot for 4-6 weeks, can’t drive during this time, and have to start physical therapy for a new body part. This is now the fifth area of my body that has required PT. I love the staff where I go for PT, but I’m worried they might suspect me of intentionally hurting myself! Just kidding, they understand autoimmune diseases and how they can affect so many areas of the body. In my case, it just happens to affect my muscles and joints mostly, and my klutzy tendencies don’t help. But, I always tell myself that it could be worse. Luckily, my mom is around and able to help me with everything, the pain is not bad at all when I wear the boot, and my house is set up in a way that makes it easy to get around, even with mobility issue, and this will heal in a couple of months. I’ve really been trying to maintain an attitude of gratitude. My problems could always be worse, and I’m so grateful they aren’t.
Now that I’m done rambling about my week, I want to talk about an issue that seems to affect most book bloggers and readers at some time. In 2024, I dealt with being in a reading slump, and had a lot of difficulty getting excited about reading. But after a two week vacation, I felt so much better and realized that I had been dealing with burnout for a long time, without even knowing it.
Burnout is a problem for a lot of people, and not just among readers. American society feels like it has become increasingly focused on ‘the hustle’ and always being productive. But the problem with that kind of life is that it isn’t balanced, and a balanced lifestyle is something that I have been really working on, hardcore. The same thing can occur with reading—after reading the most books I’ve ever read in a year, I spent the entire next year in the throes of burnout and a reading slump like I’ve never had in my life that felt like it lasted forever.
I think most people are going to experience burnout at some point, so if you have, you know how good it feels to come out of a period of reading slump and burnout. That’s where I am at right now in my own reading journey, and I tried a bunch of things to get around it. I do have a post on coping with a reading slump, that you can find here.
In my own period of burnout, I would have loved to be able to see all the ways that other readers have handled their own burnout. Two things that really helped me were reading things in other formats than I usually would, and reading for fun rather than only ARCs that I’ve agreed to review on a deadline. Before my slump, I preferred to read print or ebooks, but while it was hard to focus my attention on any book for too long, I started reading more audiobooks, which held my attention while doing chores, driving, or just relaxing. I also started to read some graphic novels, and became willing to check out different genres that I didn’t read, like dipping a toe into horror that is mildly creepy or scary, not the terrifying books.
How do you cope with burnout or a reading slump?
Categories: Sunday Bookish Discussion
Leah's Books 
I think what helps is a comfortable read. Or cute/easy-to-read book.
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Yes! A familiar favorite or lighthearted and low-stakes are great ways to reignite joy in reading.
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Well, have never gone through a reading slump
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You’re lucky then, and if you had said that to me in 2024, I would have been super jealous! Fortunately, I am officially unslumped (I’m okay if that is a word that I just made up.)
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While no year has had a reading slump- there are some years where books seem to take longer to read than I originally thought
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Oh, I get that completely. Some books just push me to devour them, and others end up taking about a gazillion times longer to read than expected.
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Well, even I make up words
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It makes life so much funner, doesn’t it?
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I always made up words- from childhood to now
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Me too!
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Oh goodness! I’m glad you’re not more seriously injured, but what a misadventure! Healing vibes going your way ❤
I definitely rely heavily on rereading old favorites when I’m feeling slumpy. Also absolutely frivolous-for-fun things, without a time restriction. But very much rereads of comfort favorites.
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Thank you – I appreciate all the healing vibes sent my way. I’m managing in the boot, but it’s still weird and uncomfortable to walk.
An old favorite is the best during a reading slump – it’s like wrapping yourself in a fuzzy throw blanket when it’s chilly.
I have also found it really helpful to read novellas, since I couldn’t always sustain attention long enough for a full book, but a short read is so much easier. And you’re so right – I call the frivolous-for-fun books ‘fluffy bunnies’ because it just makes sense for some weird reason lol!
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“Fluffy bunnies” makes so much sense! 💕🐰📖
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I got it from a friend of mine. Every so often, I need to put the evil fae and mysteries to the side and just read a fluffy bunny book. She said it once, and I was like, now that’s mine forever, and I now get to share it. Thanks!
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I’m sorry you were injured. May your recovery go well.
This might not be what you want to hear, but taking reading breaks is what helps me with burnout. I get energized by doing physically active things for a while instead. (And by physically active it might just be taking walks out in nature. I’m not trying to leap over tall buildings in a single bound or anything. 😂)
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Thank you, Lydia. And I’m so disappointed that you can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound! I might have to reevaluate our blogish friendship! Just kidding.
When I really can’t focus, I have so many other projects that I’m able to work on so I don’t feel like reading is the only activity. But since I really do love reading, short breaks have been immensely helpful.
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Sorry about your Achilles tendon, It’s good that time and PT will heal it.
When I feel a reading slump or burnout, I read an Amish romance. If that doesn’t work, I focus on my knitting or some other hobby and return to reading when I feel like it.
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It’s actually helping my mother and I get along better, since we are both pretty dependent on each other right now.
Sticking to another hobby works out really well for me too. I have been unable to learn how to knit, but I can crochet. We started watching one episode of a show each night while I make a blanket.
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You are the second person in my blog world that has an injured Achilles! I am glad that your mom is there to help you.
I try to keep a balance of activities to avoid burnout but it doesn’t always work. Lol. I do like to embroider while I watch tv at night.
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I’ve been crocheting at night while watching an episode or two of something we both like
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