Submitted by Training-Funny-3381 t3_11txj1t in books
It's the same story that's on here a lot: I was an incredibly "gifted" child/teen that fervently read books well above my age's level. Then college and eventually life got more busy and tech focused, and before I knew it I had gone over 6 years without reading a single book.
And as the title says, I really underestimated the struggle of getting back into reading! My main issue was the juxtaposition between my desire to read books targeted towards a mature audience, and my seeming inability to follow or absorb those books due to what felt like brain fog. I won't say I was dumber, but I was certainly worse at reading. I would pick up a YA novel and feel frustrated because I didn't like the themes or writing style, but if I picked up an adult novel I couldn't absorb it.
I honestly don't have a magic fix to recommend either. Other than don't be afraid to abandon a book and don't let false starts stop you from trying. What finally worked for me was a mix of all sorts of advice: I still searched for YA books with themes I enjoyed so I could "warm up" my reading muscles, and searched equally for adult books that contained simpler prose and were shorter in length. I think the latter was by far the most effective step at getting me back where I wanted to be, reading wise. Short story anthologies and <300 page adult novels meant that I was starting to flex and exercise my ability to read, while not burning out.
I'm sure everyone is going to need different methods to get back into reading, but hopefully this will help someone at least a little :)