Reading and writing Fantasy books may support your mental health
I am glad to say that this weekend was productive, indeed. I have revised my plan for the upcoming month, written 2,000 words and completed a rough plan for all four books of my work-in-progress series, "Tales of the Souls". The last on my to-do list of the week was this blog post and indeed, as I am writing this sentence, I am ready to post it.
I was stuck in slumber for most of February and I am happy to be out of it. It hasn't been easy. If I can dare to say, it forced me to cry a few times as I felt completely overwhelmed until I created a detailed plan. As with anything in life, it has been full of trials and errors to organise my schedule in a way that would not overwhelm me but at the same time, force me to follow the plan. If you want to see how I did it, I'll post about it in my next blog post.
Anyhow, I have dug into a lot of research these past few weeks about mental health and how reading or writing fantasy books affects a human's brain and mental health. Of course, I am in no way an expert; all I can do is compare my experiences to the articles I found online.
Fantasy stories show a noteworthy perspective of the real world
As all writers, even fantasy authors often use metaphors to mirror their own experiences. They dive into the story and gently uncover all the layers of their inner self, their thought processes, and their deepest desires. It's all hidden within the pages of their stories. Almost like a puzzle, all you have to do is build the whole picture, piece by piece.
Oftentimes, fantasy authors use real situations which carry trauma, addiction and mental health illnesses and use various conclusions to help the readers cope with many hardships of life. And to show, of course, that no one is truly alone.
Similar to how I started the journey of writing my work-in-progress series, "Tales of the Souls". I have used writing as my own coping mechanism after losing my father to cancer. It contains many layers of my deeper thoughts and with that, I found the will to carry on even stronger than before.
Fantasy works will let you take a rest from reality for a moment
You may not consider fantasy novels fine literature, however, fantasy authors use an incredible, almost unreal amount of creativity to bring to you new worlds, new creatures and new rules. Take J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, for example. It took him more than 12 years to create this incredible new world and he even developed two languages which he mentions in his books!
So, let's use addictions and compulsions as an example. It may be beneficial to many of us, to use these fantasy worlds as an escape hatch and any respite from the tricky situations can often help to sort them out. Any emotional connections we do develop with fictional characters can assist us in staying grounded throughout most of the hardships of life we are facing.
I can proudly say that for me, reading fantasy books helped me escape the real world and by the time I thought about the issues again, I was ready to find logical solutions. So, even today, I try to incorporate
reading into my weekly routine.
Fantasy can enhance your personal understanding
Many critics claim that fantasy is total escapism however that could not be further from the truth. Many Fantasy authors encompass real-life situations and personalities in their fantasy worlds and characters. These characters are placed into many challenges and are forced to fight their way out. This perspective can actually enhance our personal understanding.
Many fantasy stories follow similar structures; the hero of the story is forced to pass many adversaries and on their way, they use their intelligence to learn about themselves and their place in the world. These lessons actually benefit us a lot. Especially to surpass any emotional problems and teach us to look inward for help.
Fantasy books can improve your imagination
It is an easy solution to throw imagination into a small box for "artists", however, If you dive deeper into why imagination is important, you will realise that it's used in many fields. Those who developed innovations in science, technology, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, physics, medicine and many more, have benefited from leaps in imagination. We often forget that quantum physics would not exist without vivid imagination. What about penicillin from mould? None of this would exist without the use of imagination. Because theory, is where it all starts.
Indeed the imagination is the most vivid at a young age and as we get older, our brain together with our imaginations withers. Mental health problems affect mental energy in a similar way and that is why it's important to keep our minds active. One good way is to read and write fantasy books. Getting lost in a fantasy world is a beautiful way to boost our imagination and build a better understanding of any potential mental health solutions that could work on our needs.
I will expand on how writing affects our brains in a future article and how it helped me.
Fantasy books can build mental resilience
Research has found that sci-fi and fantasy can build mental resilience. Click here to read the article. While some may use fantasy books as total escapism, others will use the opportunity to use the lessons within the pages of the books to enhance their real life. That is an important step for some who struggle with mental health issues, addictions and compulsions.
Many fantasy stories show a journey full of obstacles, mental health problems, addictions and many more adversaries. However, in the end, the hero will surpass anything which is thrown their way and complete the quest. Many of these stories carry some similarities to the life of many of us and they will provide a powerful encouragement to recover and to move forward in our life.
Please note, I hold no degree in psychology and can only say that these 5 points have been compared between online articles and my own experiences being a fantasy reader and writer. You can use this article in theory only but in practice, everyone's life experiences and mental dexterity are different. You should always remember that something which helps one person, may not have the same effect on another.
Sources and other interesting articles:
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