Chaos to Calm – How Reading Became My Greatest Escape

I’ll be honest… Growing up, I never liked reading. It felt more like a chore; something I had to do. It wasn’t until my early 30s, while navigating the chaos of raising five kids, that I actually fell in love with reading. From that moment on, books became more than words on a page. Now, reading is my escape, my reset button, and my way to recharge so I can show up as my best self for my family.

my favorite way to disappear

Let’s be real: my life is beautiful, but it is loud. It’s school drop-offs, endless mountains of laundry, meal planning, and at least one kid complaining because I asked them to do their chores. There are days when I don’t even hear myself think, and that’s when I crack open a book and disappear. Reading gives me permission to check out for a while, and I need that. Not because I don’t love my life, but because I need a break from it to love it well.

The Ravenhood series by Kate Stewart? That was the first time I fully understood the phrase “book hangover.” It wrecked me—in the best way. I was swept into an intense world that was nothing like my own, and for a few hours, I got to feel something just for me. I still think about that book, probably weekly. That’s what reading does. It transports you, pulls you out of the mundane, and lets you be someone else for a little while. And when I close the book? I’m still me—but a version of me that’s calmer, fuller, more ready to take on whatever chaos is waiting in the next room.

The Pages That Changed Me

Reading didn’t just give me an escape; it gave me perspective. It cracked open my brain in the gentlest, most powerful way. Especially fiction. There’s something about walking through someone else’s story that makes you rethink your own. Some books change how you see the world, and others change how you see yourself.

The Ravenhood gave me space to grieve and grow. Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass helped me start calling out my own self-doubt instead of sitting in it. And Loving What Is by Katie Byron? That one taught me how to stop spiraling and just sit with reality, even when it’s uncomfortable. These books weren’t just good reads, they were mirrors, guides, and gut checks. They made me braver, softer, and more curious about the person I’m still becoming.

so much more than a hobby

Reading has taught me empathy and helped me unlearn perfection. It’s reminded me that I still get to have passions and interests and obsessions that are just mine. It gives me something to reach for when the day feels heavy and I’ve got nothing left to give. This isn’t just something I do “if I have time.” Reading is part of how I take care of myself. How I connect to joy. How I heal in tiny, quiet ways.

So if you’ve ever thought it’s too late to become a reader, or that books are just for people with spare time and silent homes, I’m here to tell you, NOPE. You don’t need silence. You don’t need extra hours. You just need one story that meets you where you are. And when you find it? You’ll understand.