Reading and Stress ~ Can reading help? #Giveaway - 2 crime books

It's coming up to the anniversary of my Dad's passing on 15th May 2014. The worst day of my life. My Husband and I were in Vancouver at the time about to board a cruise ship to Alaska, and instead we ended up at Vancouver airport, waiting for a flight back to the UK.

What did change for me at that time, was my reading habits. I went completely off reading! Instead of using it as a stress relief, I went the other way. I couldn't concentrate. For about a year I stopped reading and I stopped blogging. I just lost interest, which for those who know me well know that this was just not me. I was always found with a book in my hand somewhere.

A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%. It is supposed to work better than listening to music or drinking tea. It is supposed to be because reading takes you to a different world. One away from the every day stresses and strains of regular life. 

Here are some tips from the University of Minnesota, who recommend that you pick up any book or magazine, even a cook book and go somewhere quiet where you won't be disturbed and read for 30 minutes.

• The book you choose doesn't have to be on any "best-seller" list. The important thing is that the subject matter has captured your interest and will provide a space for your mind to relax in every day.
• Reading only helps reduce your stress if you pick something you enjoy that won't upset you. Reading the news may not be the best choice if it makes you feel angry or helpless. Pick a novel where you can escape into another world. Or read about an activity that you enjoy-- a hobby, travel, cooking.
• Take note of how you feel after your reading break. Have you been able to let go of some of your stressors? If you still feel overwhelmed, take our Stress Assessment to explore the source of your anxieties and take charge of your well-being.

My first step back on the reading ladder, was a chance correspondence and meeting with a lovely author in Texas, my second home. Chrinda Jones, Author of crime novels Angels Sing to Rest and Darkness Knows Me. Chrinda had asked that I take part in a blog tour and review one of her books and I obliged. Check out my post here. That was it, I was hooked and back into my reading. Funnily enough since then Chrinda has become a very good friend and we have visited her twice now in Texas. Once to watch her son in his band and the second time in 2016, we stayed in a hotel nearby her house for a few days and her and her husband took us out each day, plus we spent time relaxing at her home and in her pool. I don't think she really knows the impact she had on me from reading and reviewing her book. 

As I've said it's coming up to the anniversary of my Dad's passing and a lot has changed in that I am reading more than ever, albeit I'm a slow reader, and I'm immersing myself in a book to relieve the stress.

I'm interested in hearing your opinions of what you do that helps to receive stress. Is it to read or something else.

Please comment on my blog and enter the rafflecopter. The winner will receive an e-book copy of both of Chrinda's books. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway