From Reels to Reads: Rescue YOUR Emotional Depth

In the fast world of today, reading often grudgingly loses its place to various forms of instant amusement. However, through the din and noise, various research has pinpointed that reading is a strong tool that can help parents and young children alike in honing their emotional intelligence (EI).

It is crucial to note that, in today's electronic age, the reading habit is being lost in a sea of fast-moving visual information. The rise in Instagram and TikTok-bite-sized visually appealing digital content has translated into a decline in deep, reflective consumption of reliable written materials. Of course, this new digital content is very entertaining, yet it lacks almost all the depth and useful insights that come from comprehensive reading. Increased time on screens has taken away the beauty and value of old time reading, changing our expectations of amusement and learning.

Let's explore how this age-old practice of reading can change our emotional landscapes and provide real-life tips for personal growth in the face of a digitally dominant world.

The Science Behind Reading and EI

Reading (short or long reads) can be of various kinds. Passive reading is simply the absorption of text without interacting with it actively by skimming through without paying much attention to its meaning. And active reading is interacting with the text actively in order to obtain a full understanding of its meaning.

According to research, active reading leads to significantly better information retention and comprehension compared to passive reading; with active readers possessing a higher potential for remembering significant details, critically evaluating information, and applying knowledge to new situations, while passive readers can only possess a superficial understanding of the material since they are not engaged.

While a narrative work would typically include characters, settings and conflicts, an expository work explains a concept with evidence, statistics, or findings and focuses on facts, without any aim to express opinions. A fiction, on the other hand, would include content derived from imagination, and a non-fiction would cover content derived from facts, events and people.

Yet, real or imagined, subjective or objective, active reading engages the default mode network (DMN) in our brain, which is responsible for generating our sense of self and others and thus forms the basis for empathy, a key component of EI. For example: In decoding the emotions that the characters experience, our brain mirrors these emotions, thus offering a neurological basis for empathy.

Here are The ABCs of how active reading benefits young children:

A. Adds to Emotional Vocabulary

Children's reads are a mine of emotional content. While going through many characters and situations, a young reader learns to identify and name more complex emotions. This enhanced emotional vocabulary will help them better express their own feelings, which can then facilitate communication and self-awareness.

B. Builds on Empathy

Through stories, children get to walk in the shoes of various characters and build experiences with different feelings and perspectives. This exposes them to, and helps them understand, others' feelings, thus fostering empathy and social awareness.

C. Creates Resilience

Reads offer a safe space to explore tough emotions and situations. Young readers learn how to develop coping strategies and emotional resilience through observing how characters navigate difficulties.

Now, lets think about the ABCs of how active reading benefits their parents:

A. Advances Self-Awareness

It is not only meant for kids, but it is a powerful means through which emotional development occurs even in adults. While going through various stories and perspectives, parents ‘may’ get to understand their own pattern of emotions and behaviors.

B. Broadens Parenting Skills

The reads on child development propose various ways to handle and manage emotions and relate healthily with children. These could be ‘purposefully’ implemented in the daily hiccups one encounters in parenting situations.

C. Cuts back Stress Levels

Reading can be a form of mindfulness for parents also, giving them an emotional refill and respite from the daily hassles.

Now, lets reflect on 5 actionable insights for parents to take away:

#1. Routine of Family Reading: 

Fix time for reading as a family – even parallel reading as per your own interests and needs. This develops not only literacy skills but also an emotional bonding.

#2. Emotional Discussion on Reads:

At the end of a reading, engage your child in discussing the feelings of the characters and why they acted in a certain manner. You could even do the same, making it simpler for your child to understand your read. This helps in developing emotional understanding, mutual admiration and critical thinking.

#3. Choose Diverse and Rich Content: 

Choose reads that model a wide range of emotions, perspectives and situations to expose yourself and your children to various emotional experiences.

#4. Model Emotional Reflection:

Share with the children your own emotional reactions to the reads, also modeling healthy emotional expression and self-awareness. You will see them do the same for your reads too.

#5. Use Reading for Coping:

Encourage your child to turn to reads when an emotion is overwhelming or confusing. Show them how you benefit from it and they will follow along.

In conclusion, the digital age may have changed what we read and how we read, but we can make a conscious effort to retain the purpose of why we read. Let’s create a trending culture of active reading and invest in powering up our EI, which provides a strong foundational base for success and happiness though life!