Can being well-read really help you wash away the stresses and strains of a busy Dubai life? If you've been on overdrive trying to meet your festive deadlines, you probably need a simple pick-me-up. This could take the form of a nice meal with the family, a boat ride across the Creek or a shopping spree to one of Dubai's malls. But if we stopped for a minute, we'd realise there's a lesser-known kind of help on offer and it's one even the busiest person can easily fit into their daily routine. 'Bibliotherapy', or health-boosting reading, has proven benefits, including stress relief and mood-lifting. As reported in British newspaper, The Metro, the technique is being employed by health professionals across the UK in treating conditions such as anxiety, depression, diabetes and obesity. The idea works by targeting mental wellbeing and trials have proved so successful over there that there are now more than 80 'books on prescription' schemes in prisons, libraries, psychiatric wards and health centres. But we don't have to book an appointment with our doctors to reap the benefits of reading. It's something we were all brought up to do but in the hustle bustle of Dubai city life, many of us will only find time for a book if we're on the beach or catching a flight. Whether it be a gritty true horror, one of your son's fiction books or a romance, transporting yourself into a different world for an hour, or even just a few minutes, can have untold benefits. Mike McGinley, owner of House of Prose secondhand book shops at Jumeirah Plaza and Ibn Battuta mall knows only too well about the benefits of reading. "It really takes you out of yourself," he says. "They always say meditation is a good thing and reading a book and being totally involved in it is, you could say, a form of meditation which is very relaxing. "It uses all of your concentration. I always say juggling balls is good for stress because it takes all your concentration to do that and I think I would agree books do the same thing, it really takes all of your ego away and gets you back to your subconscious." But with the busy lifestyle of most of us here in Dubai, surely it's easier to just switch on the television? Especially at this time of the year when we have work targets and festive socialising to squeeze into our already bursting routines. "TV is emotionally numbing," says author Susan Elderkin. "It shuts families down. The danger in being a couch potato at Christmas is that we become passive, regressing into our childhood roles and don't consider what we can bring to the day as an adult." As well as relieving stress, reading is also a great 'brain tool', helping people of all ages to learn and develop important life skills. Children and adults can read to develop their language, vocabulary, and all-round comprehension skills and spelling and writing skills are also improved by regular reading. It seems us 'grown ups', who often find ourselves telling our offspring they should read more, need to set aside at least a few minutes a day for reading. Whether that means keeping a book in our bags in case we happen to find ourselves in a typically long Dubai queue or use reading to help lull us to sleep, the activity really helps alleviate stress. "I always have a book with me. When I go to the bank I have a book in my hand, if I go to the car wash I have a book in my hand. If I ever have to wait, it helps to take away boredom and you don't get so impatient," adds Mike. "It's therapy I guess you could say, a time to dedicate to yourself. "It stimulates your imagination, you tend to make a movie of a book. "I think it gets you away from your problems for the immediate time because you're not into yourself you're into a story."
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