I’m sure most of you avid readers out there know what book hangover is. For those of you who don’t;
Yes, book hangover is a real thing.
Allow me to describe the stages of book hangover:
- Shock.
- You just finished the last page of an amazing book, and now you don’t know what to do next. You just… sit there. Staring at its cover. The story’s adventures all come flooding back.
- Emptiness.
- You then proceed to go on with your day. But you have this pit in your stomach. A feeling of emptiness. The only thing that will fill it is to read more of the story, learn more about the book. You need more.
- Denial.
- You look up everything you can about what you’ve just read. You learn more about the author, parts of the story that had slipped from your mind, and facts about the characters. There has to be something new to learn, right?
- Make it Real.
- You buy and make everything you can that’s related to the story. Things varying from posters to fact books. You even create a painting of your favorite quote from the book. If it’s a part of your life, why not express it? Real life then begins to feel boring.
- I’m Fine.
- You keep trying to convince yourself that you’re fine. You’ve gotten over it. It doesn’t matter to you any more. You might even believe yourself. But at one point, the wall you built comes crashing down, and you spiral back into your thoughts about the book again.
- Regret.
- You regret not having read the book slower. If you hadn’t read the book so fast, you would still have more to read now. Why did I stay up so late reading, when I could have saved so much of the story for today?
Book hangover can be hard on some people, since you’ve become so emotionally attached to a book and invested so much time into it. The fact that the characters’ story has just ended is a lot to take in.
To help you through this, here’s a list of things you can do to get over book hangover:
Write About It.
Get out a pen and paper and start writing about how you feel. Why did you love the characters so much? What was your favorite part of the story?
Pouring your emotions out on paper can help you look at your thoughts in a new and organized perspective. You can figure out why you’re feeling this way.
You can choose whether to keep these notes to yourself, or to share them with other people, like close family and friends.
Maybe you could even blog about it.
Do Something Adventurous.
Get out of the house and do something adventurous.
This could be a Netflix and chill night with your friends, joining a club, volunteering, or just going for a walk.
Prove to yourself that real life is way more enjoyable than the story. There is so much more you can be doing instead of sulking around. Create your own story. Have fun.
Face Your Fears.
Fear of heights? Go to a rock climbing gym.
Scared of clowns? Dress up as one for Halloween.
Try to challenge yourself. Take (healthy) risks that make you a better person. You want to be as brave as your favorite character? Become as brave as them.
Most importantly, make sure you learn something from your experience.
Get Someone Else Interested.
Share the book with your friends and family, and get them to read it.
This will make the loss of the story a little less hard, since you’re able to share you opinions on it with someone else.
Come Back to Reality.
Though it’s hard to come to terms with, the book you just read is fiction (most likely). The world, the plot, the characters, they aren’t real.
But you are.
Make the world a better place, and be a real hero in a world full of fictional ones.
Reflect on How You’ve Changed.
You were definitely different when you started the book to when you ended it. Were any of these changes caused by the book itself?
Has a character made you a better person? How so? Have you discovered a new passion? Have you learned something new?
Think about how the story has changed you for the better.
Move On.
It’s time to let go of the book.
You can’t keep holding on to something that won’t come back.
The story will always be with you, but right now it’s holding you back from new experiences. Make peace with it and move on. Find a new book.
Book hangover is the worst part of reading a good book. You know it’s going to happen, but you prefer to ignore it.
But eventually, it fades away. The pain will end, I promise!
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