If you follow me on Instagram, you 
may see me post my ‘waiting room reads’. These are books I read while I’m in waiting rooms, and there have been a lot of them over the years! I have chronic health conditions and so do my kids. This means a lot of time spent waiting for doctors.
I share these books for a few reasons, one is to have something to post on Instagram, another is to share the books I’m reading, especially as so many are from indie authors, it’s a way to give them some promotion.
When it comes down to it, those waiting room reads are more than ‘just’ a book.
When I was a kid, it was drummed into me not to be late, so I tend to be early to appointments. To pass the time, I always take a book to read, and often get annoyed when the doctor or whoever is running on time or, in rare situations, early!
Not only that, sitting and reading helps to calm me. If I’m anxious about the appointment, I can sit and forget about it for a while, and get lost in the story.
Reading also helps me with the transition between ‘real life’ and the appointment. Somehow it also helps me get things in order in my mind so I can address whatever it is the appointment is about.
Generally, I try to choose books that are lighter, so it doesn’t matter if I’m interrupted, or at least ones with short paragraphs. I’m used to be interrupted while reading, so even more serious books can be read, although if I need to concentrate fully on the information, I tend to leave those books at home.
When my kids were younger, I would get them to bring books to read in waiting rooms too. This was before we had iPads or other devices for them to use instead. If we were waiting in the emergency department, I would occasionally read out loud, and we would end up with other children listening too!
Reading can be so important in these situations. Waiting for medical appointments can be a time of high anxiety and dysregulation. The act of reading a book can help calm everything down while you’re waiting to see the doctor, physio, psychologist, or whoever else you are seeing.
This is the main reason I share my waiting room reads – to show that reading is a good thing to do no matter where you are.
Next time you’re waiting for an appointment, think about taking a book with you. And if you’re there with your kids, this could be an opportunity to read something to them, the sillier the story the better, especially when in a high stress environment.
