Fiction Prescription can be a Secret to Happiness

How often have you got lost in a really good book, to the point that you couldn’t put it down? Fiction is a superb invention for happiness, designed to give us a way of losing ourselves and escaping from our everyday lives by living through some characters for a while.

The power of a great book shouldn’t be underestimated for a dose of happiness. Curling up and giving ourselves time to read is one of life’s pure luxuries. From the moment we sat at our parents’ knee and learned to read, right through to illicit hours under the covers with a flash light after bedtime, reading is an integral part of most people’s lives.

When things get hectic, reading is usually one of the things which we leave, in favor of catching up with our jobs and housework.  As we get older, reading gets relegated from something we do for praise, to something we can only do as a luxury. Because of this, we sometimes feel guilty about giving up time to pursue a hobby. Anyone who has been through college also probably has some residual dread of trawling through text books, which means the process of reading, can, lose some of its shine as we grow older.

Why bother reading? Losing yourself in fiction provides a number of positive benefits for keeping ourselves happy, including:

• Letting you take time out of your schedule to do something just for yourself
• Giving you access to new landscapes and experiences in the comfort of your own home
• Giving you a shared experience with other readers
• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Offering you a cheap hobby that won’t make you gain weight or have a hangover!

With all these positives, it’s surprising that we don’t read much more. To get you on your way, here are some great books that I have read recently which gave me a boost…

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull – Richard Bach

Richard Bach writes little gems of stories which have clear messages. This short story shows us how we can stretch our wings and become the person we always dreamed of being, as long as we aren’t afraid. (There also was a movie made from this book)

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is a young bird who lives with his family and friends. Every day, he wakes up, finds his breakfast, and then sits with the other birds wondering what to do with himself. He is bored. He can’t understand why his friends don’t try and fly more, pushing their beautiful wings to the limit and going higher and higher.

Jonathan is ridiculed for his ambition. He knows what he wants to achieve, and although it is a lonely process he gets there.  He finally sets himself free by being who he really is and not worrying about what the other birds my think.  He chooses his happiness.

Jonathan demonstrates t he power of creative thinking, the strength of self-belief, and what can happen when we push ourselves to achieve our dreams. All this in one tiny story which will leave you smiling for weeks afterwards!

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be searching out the best books for inspiration and humor, and post about them here. If you have read something amazing that you’d like to share, please let me know and I’ll feature it here.

Be happy, stay happy and have fun with life!

Debbie