Why book clubs are a therapist approved form of self-care

Clinical psychologist Caitlin Sopp agrees that book club offers a wealth of benefits. She says sharing your thoughts in a group environment can build confidence and boost self-esteem, while reading itself is also beneficial for emotional wellbeing. “When you’re absorbed in a good book, you’re not worried about what happened earlier in the day, you’re not stressing about what’s coming the next day,” she says. “Reading is a form of mindfulness.”

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Being absorbed in a mindful activity then gives your brain a “much-needed break” from mental chatter, Sopp says, and allows you to flex your imagination and think creatively. “And that’s really positive, mental health-wise.”

Attending book club itself also provides mental health benefits, adds Tsakalakis. She thinks of book club as an act of “self-care”, saying people draw comfort from having a planned, regular event, one in which the group is all focused on the same shared interest. “That’s the therapeutic aspect of it.”

Samantha says most weeknights she’s bogged down in the same routine of “working, cooking and going to bed”. On book club night, she relishes the opportunity to do something just for herself.

“While you’re in that conversation, that’s your own space, your own little world. For that time,
I’ve left the rest of the world behind.”

This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale June 27. To read more from Sunday Life, visit The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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