Be still and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10a

Wellness may well start with a good book, or two.... A deeper understanding of oneself and the world around us, including greater empathy for others, are fundamental to our capacity to cope with the challenges and twists and turns of life. Like could be said of our capacity to get off the treadmill and slow down, to relax and ponder, and allow our imagination to subconsciously interrogate the demands and trials around us. Reading stimulates mental, emotional and spiritual resilience.

Psychologists believe that as the mind concentrates when reading, the resultant distraction within a literary world eases the tensions of muscles and the heart. Study volunteers were first subject to some exercises and tests to raise stress levels and heart rate. Next they were exposed to a variety of well-known methods of relaxation. Listening to music reduced the levels by 61 per cent, having a cup of tea or coffee lowered them by 54 per cent and taking a walk by 42 per cent. However, reading came out on top with 68 per cent.

University of Sussex Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis, commented: Subjects only needed to read, silently, for six minutes to slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles, he found. In fact it got subjects to stress levels lower than before they started… Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. Other research has, not surprisingly, reported on other related benefits derived from the stillness of reading:

Reading for pleasure can help alleviate conditions such as stress, depression and dementia.
Reading can offer richer, broader and more complex models of experience, which enable people to view their own lives and its challenges from a refreshed perspective and with renewed understanding.
People who read books regularly are on average more satisfied with life, and more likely to feel that the things they do in life are worthwhile.
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Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

In a recent speech to mark World Mental Health Day, PM Lee spoke of the additional impact Covid-19 has had on the mental health of people all over the world, "...more people are facing stresses, pressures and disruptions to their lives and livelihoods..." and, in further remarks that will resonate with the Church, he urged Singaporeans to "...resolve to work together to understand mental health better, and to care for one another during these difficult times".

Indeed, a deeper understanding of oneself and the world around us, including greater empathy for others in the light of Scripture, are fundamental to our capacity to cope with the challenges and unpredictable twists and turns of life. Like could be said of our willingness to get off the treadmill and slow down, to relax and ponder; to allow a Word-infused imagination to grapple with the demands and trials around us. Mental wellness is a neurological issue that is intrinsically linked to our emotional wellbeing and we need to pursue habits, such as reading, exercising, and nurturing relationships, that allow both to be managed more effectively.

The digital space is throwing up new challenges to managing our time and calling. It is also raising concerns over the potentially addictive qualities of mobile technology and the manipulation of public information and discourse on social media. Increasing levels of youth depression and suicide since the technology was introduced are also raising alarm amongst medical, social and government policy makers. This should also be of utmost concern to the Church.

In pursuing spiritual wellness we need to be mindful of the stewardship of our bodies in light of God's mercy and grace. Not only are we created in the image of God but because of Jesus' obedience to death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension, the Christian is a 'temple of the Holy Spirit' (1

Reading encourages stillness like no other pastime.