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the solution that works out the most for me is reading WHILE listening to something
my brain loves to overthink and catastrophise so when i have free time (like in the evenings or when im on the bus/subway) i LOVE to think of worst case scenarios of everything and gaslight myself into thinking that all these horrible scenarios are reality. i tried many things to stop the negative thoughts from coming — history podcasts, language podcasts, life advice podcasts, listening to new indie albums —but it didn't feel right. personally i probably don't like podcasts because i've always been a reading/writing person i.e. i absorb information the best when it's presented in textual form
then one day i saw a book on my shelf — NW by zadie smith. it was a book that i read for a class in university, but never finished it because i found it hard to follow. i thought "maybe i should finish this book" and started to read it again. but it was STILL hard to follow and my negative thoughts kept sneaking their way in. so i had the idea of listening to its audiobook version so that it could help me follow along with the book. and it WORKED — the voice of the audiobook not only helped me follow the book but also kept all thoughts from sneaking into my mind
i managed to read many books this way — with a library card most of the audiobooks i needed were available — and in recent months, as i've been feeling better, i've switched to classical music. honestly there's only two classical pieces that i listen to, because i like them THAT much. but reading while listening has honestly kept me so sane in 2024, and even though i never plan what books to read (i just have a to-read list that's always been there), i happen to stumble upon so many beautiful stories
might post my reading list next — it's mostly modern japanese literature now, and every book has been a gem
📷 pictured is some of the books i downloaded onto my kindle after deciding that i would embark upon this reading-healing journey, it gave me so much excitement to start (and as of now i've read 4 of the books displayed here)
Related Recs
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when my mental health was at its lowest i found it really difficult to focus on reading but still really wanted to. My solution was audiobooks and at first it was hard to get into them but the more I did, the easier it got. It takes away some mental strain of reading too like trying to read it in the right tone or imagining their voices.
Some recs: the girl on the train (keeps you on your toes), the martian (funny, helped my mental health), throne of glass (adventure and whole new world), an inspector calls (is a play but is just so good), the love hypothesis (cutesy, quick easy read)
you could also read textbooks! Learning something new :)
Feb 1, 2025
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Here’s something I thought I had sworn off, I mean, I hadn’t touched the stuff in years, not on the physical page at least. As a *painter* (looks down at paint-splattered jeans, bites lip, giggles) I use my hands for touching paintbrushes, resulting in a high improbability of actual page-turning, thus making me the single highest volume consumer of podcasts and audiobooks in the known universe. I’ve always found it hard to find the books I want to read on audiobook, and after years of attempting to copy and paste entire PDFs into various text-to-speech apps (yes, listening to Bataille’s Story of The Eye in a monotonous Australian robo voice does have its appeal), I’ve recently turned to the technology of Words On Paper. Hey, I love the stuff! I usually find myself doing word-listening to books about history or theory but suddenly I’m finding fiction to be riveting. I know, I know, its hard to imagine, but you gotta believe me mister, I really do enjoy this activity! I’m just concluding my Nabokov era (Pale Fire blew m’mind) and am knee-deep in some really big thick girthy book by Proust or whatever.— sponsored by generic brand adderall
Jun 16, 2022
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I love reading but never saw myself as an audiobook girl. I also listen to so many podcasts (which I love…) that entertain me but don’t teach me things. Working on focusing my energy towards learning more, reading more! Might as well if I always have headphones in. This is a new development but I‘ve already found myself eager to listen to new books I typically wouldn’t buy or grab from the library!
also: if you don’t have the Libby app and a library card, change that immediately. imagine paying $20 for a book you only listen to!!!!
Jan 16, 2025
Top Recs from @tien
i got a minilo 75 for office, with the kailh silent switches
it's SO quiet so it's perfect for office! (i work in a research library so unless there's a forum or seminar there's virtually no sound around here)
very pleasant to type on and the eucalyptus colour fits my nails perfectly
Jan 28, 2025
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when faye's music video for "i know im funny haha" was released in 2021 it was literally the first time i learned that yoyos can be played like that
Jan 2, 2025
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Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Dec 31, 2024
