World Wellbeing Week 2023: Reading’s key role in wellness

New research finds that 51% of people say reading stories they can relate to has had a positive impact on their mental health

Speak with Rutger Bruining, biography expert and CEO of StoryTerrace, the nation’s leading biography-writing service, about why reading is one of the best ways to relieve stress and anxiety

In light of World Wellbeing Week, having been observed in the last week of June, StoryTerrace, the leading personal memoir-writing service, emphasises the profound connection between reading and wellness. With its mission to preserve and share personal stories, StoryTerrace recognises the therapeutic benefits of reading as a means to promote emotional, mental, and overall wellbeing. It was found in their national study that over half (51%) of adults say that reading stories that they can relate to has a positive impact on their mental health. Rutger Bruining, CEO and founder of the international service believes that reading, particularly memoirs and personal narratives, plays a crucial role in this process. By encouraging individuals to reflect on their lives through the books they read, it becomes a transformative tool for personal growth and healing.

Research from the University of Sussex suggests that reading for just six minutes a day can relieve stress by 68%, improving your anxiety and overall wellbeing. Bruining says reading helps us ease difficult thoughts and feelings, as well as provides us with effective strategies for coping with stress and managing difficult times.

Often connected to similar practices seen in mindfulness, reading has received much attention in recent years as psychologists and therapists underline its ability to help us reframe our mental health and wellbeing – shifting away from a narrative that can inherently be self-critical to one of increased compassion. Booming over the course of the pandemic, research from Kantar shows that 53% of people say that they have read a book in the last year and with 74% of people stating it has helped with their mental health. Rutger Bruining argues that reading stories we can relate to can help us reflect on our lives, this comes as StoryTerrace’s data shows that 16% of people haven’t taken the time to reflect on their life and what they’ve managed to achieve through the years.

Now prescribed by doctors and healthcare specialists to begin addressing mental health issues, along with meditation, this practice has become the hallmark of the so-called ‘self-care revolution’.

Key stats:

• 51% of people say that reading stories that they can relate to has a positive impact on their mental health
• 16% of people haven’t taken the time to reflect on their life and what they’ve managed to achieve through the years

Rutger Bruining, CEO/founder of StoryTerrace, comments on the healing powers of reading as seen in memoir-writing:

“Through the act of storytelling, we are able to express ourselves, make sense of our experiences, and find solace and clarity in the process. StoryTerrace is committed to harnessing this power and providing a platform for individuals to preserve their stories while simultaneously nurturing their own wellness.

“Not only is reading extremely therapeutic, but it also allows us to preserve and reflect on how we think and feel at certain times in our lives. It is a personal archive of our experiences and how our experiences shape who we are. Going above and beyond the likes of social media that only portrays one side of the story, the written word lends a self-reflective mirror that allows us to process and make sense of our experiences.