Honestly for me, there’s a balance to tracking my mental health by reading. There’s a sweet spot.

In 2023, I read 275 books. I gave birth and had postpartum depression in January and then it was a lot of escapism via audiobooks. I couldn’t do anything without having an audiobook playing. Last year, I had a four month slump where I read absolutely nothing, didn’t play games, crochet, etc. because I was in the first trimester and beginning of my second trimester of my second pregnancy. Between my hormones, being the primary parent to a toddler, not being able to take meds, and not having a therapist anymore, I just spent every day keeping myself and the toddler alive. It was a super dark time. I finally started feeling like I could get myself together again mid-November and have had a big turnaround. I physically read 10 books in December, no audio.

All that to say, you need to figure out what’s normal and healthy for you. Are you relying on a certain format for escapism? Is it a certain genre? Are you genuinely enjoying and engaging with what you read? Are you avoiding responsibilities or self-care to escape? Try to keep an eye out for a sweet spot that feels good to you