Bookish Five Friday (16) - Getting Out of a Reading Slump

Sometimes I cannot pick up a book no matter how much I want to. I won't read for weeks at a time. It is frustrating and discouraging, but reading slumps happen to everyone. I hate calling these periods reading slumps because I think they are natural and even healthy. I don't have a better name for the times when I don't feel like reading or when I cannot make myself read. These are are tips and tricks that work for me personally when I'm trying to get back into reading.

1) Don't Force It- The most important thing for me is not to force myself to read. If I absolutely don't feel like it, this only makes things worse. Often when I'm in a reading funk, I feel like I should be reading because I have so many books I haven't read. Its overwhelming and trying to force myself to read in that mindset never ends well. A lot of times I'll do something totally different with my down time. I won't even look at this blog or my camera to film either. I just need to give myself a break. 

2) Do what I'm craving - Some days I want to be home reading all day, but when I'm not interesting in reading I'll do whatever I feel like doing. I try not to make myself feel bad about not reading because it doesn't help me want to read. I'll watch two seasons of a show on Netflix or run a few miles or play some video games. These are all things I like too. So I just put reading on the back burner until I get that urge to pick up a book again. Once I exhust one thing, I move onto the next. If that's reading, great! If not, oh well.

3) Start many different books - I read a lot of different books at once on a normal basis. Even so, when I'm trying to break out of a reading funk, I start many different books from different genres. This helps me personally because I might not know what I'm craving but this strategy helps me find it. Sometimes at the beginning of a really great reading run, I'll have 10 or 12 books started just to jump start my reading. 

4) Reread Books - Sometimes revisiting an old favorite will really help me jump start my reading and remind me why I love reading so much. Rereading really helps me when I can't find something on my TBR pile to tempt me. Plus I get to revisit some of my favorite stories!

5) Watch Booktube Videos or Read Book Blogs - Watching others struggle with reading can really help me or seeing someone love a book I want to read will motivate me to read. If I watch a Booktube video about someone who had trouble reading this month it takes some of the pressure off me that I feel to always be reading. I love getting introduced to new books or reminded of a book that I own. Videos and blog posts are so helpful to me when I'll struggling to pick up a book.

What do you do to get out of a reading slump/funk? How do you jump start a good reading run?