March is the month of March madness, daylight savings time, later sunsets, St. Patrick’s Day, and reading! In honor of reading month, I have been reminiscing about elementary school, when many of us went to the Scholastic Book Fair. As someone who loves reading and writing, I truly wish there was a way we could have continued this into high school and college. As college students, it can be rare to find time to sit and read as a leisurely activity. Most of the time, we are reading PDFs, studies, or books that are required for some kind of course grade or assignment.
I, for one, can wholeheartedly say I miss reading simply because I feel like opening a good book and reading it. Thankfully, there’s an easy fix to this dilemma until summer time comes and everyone has time to crack open their favorite novels again. You can read what your friends write! From research papers to articles for campus magazines, reading your friends’ work allows you to support those you care for and learn new things. Taking on the task of starting a brand new book, when time doesn’t always permit, can feel overwhelming and mildly frustrating because you want to enjoy the story without taking week long breaks between reading. Articles are usually not very long, but they still have enough substance to stimulate the mind. If you read something a friend has written, you also can tell them how much you enjoyed their work. Sounds like a win-win to me!
There are other benefits to making more time to read, as well. Reading, in general, is extremely healthy for our brains. Researchers have observed blood flow in individuals’ brains while reading, concluding that reading stimulates our brain’s neural pathways. Stimulation to our brain has the potential to enhance brain activity, memory, and cognitive function, which can boost creativity and our capacity to learn. There are also health benefits! Research has shown regular reading can help to lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and improve quality of sleep. Reading can also help increase your brain’s longevity, since keeping your brain active can lead to better mental and emotional health later on. Another interesting fact is that evolutionary psychologists suggest the brain is “designed for reading”. The brain naturally figures things out with some assistance, such as language, facial recognition, and natural human abilities/drives. The process of reading engages both our cognitive and emotional processes in the same way.
The most important thing about reading your friends’ writing is the opportunity it provides to get to know those who are precious to you on a deeper, more emotional level. My roommate and I are both in MSU’s Her Campus chapter together! Ever since I met her, I have believed she is secretly a superhero because she is an out-of-state college student living about 18 hours away from her hometown and family. I am Michigan born and raised, and the proximity to my family is a huge benefit of going to Michigan State University. There are many times when we both come back from breaks and I question how she stays so strong and conquers every hard day while being so far away from her loved ones. However, through reading an article she had written, I learned how. I finished reading her article with tears in my eyes and an extremely full heart because I realized that my family, our group of friends at college, and I have become her family in Michigan.
Seeing her write about our little room as the “Barbie Dreamhouse” and share about our regular girls nights free of any “Mojo Dojo Casa House” energy was heartwarming. It filled my heart with love and contentment for our wholesome, crazy, and chaotic college lives. It led to me daydreaming about her being a part of my wedding party one day when these days have become beautiful memories. I hope everyone can have the opportunity to experience the written voice of someone in their circle who means a lot to them. It is gratifying and reminds you that everyone around you has immense substance and depth that you get to be a part of creating and encouraging. This is the biggest reason why you should read what your friends write. You could finish reading their work and realize that you love and cherish your friend even more than you thought possible. It is truly special to collect pieces of those you love that they only share through their writing.