“How do I get over a reading slump?” is probably the most common question I see on PageBound. And it got me thinking — do we see a slump as a failure? As an annoying hurdle in our reading journey that needs to be pushed through as quickly as possible? What would happen if we changed the way we looked at reading slumps altogether?

I’m not saying the way you deal with a slump is wrong. Everyone has their own way of interacting with it. I’ve definitely exhausted myself trying to find that one book during a slump — the book that will reignite my love for reading and pull me back in. But maybe a slump isn’t always something to fix. Maybe it’s a break we actually need. Reading takes intellectual and emotional labour. Sometimes, we just don’t have enough of either to give. As readers, we escape into different worlds, try to understand different dynamics, motivations, and characters. We analyse, annotate, and form opinions about world-building, themes, and authorial intent. Even when reading feels comforting, it still asks something of us. And maybe a slump is just our brain saying: hey, let’s pause for a bit. Let's take a break.

So instead of immediately trying to “get over” a reading slump, what if we sat with it? What if we stayed away from books for a while? Learned a new hobby. Redecorated our room. Created a mural. Tried our hand at digital art. Let the slump pass on its own — until one day your feet carry you into a bookshop and your hands reach for a book without pressure or guilt.

It might be worth trying, don’t you think?

What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to agree or disagree or come up with new methods on embracing or breaking a slump.

What is it like as a reader with no inner monologue or aphantasia?

I have a very vivid visualization and inner monologue and after watching a video of a woman who has neither, at all, I am floored in how you read? How your experience stories? Please enlighten me!