Common side effects of not reading

A Mid-Life Crisis Guide to Rediscovering Your Attention Span

John Toma | NOSTALGIA NATION

May 23, 2025

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If you’re experiencing sudden inexplicable urges to wander into bookstores, an alarming interest in library cards, or find yourself lingering in the book section at Target or the airport instead of buying more shit you don't need, you may be experiencing a serious condition: Reading Withdrawal.

The Slow Descent Into Literary Starvation

Remember the 90s? When you'd stay up until 3 AM reading Stephen King’s Needful Things with a reading light because you just had to know what happened next? Then life did that thing it does. Jobs. Marriage. Kids. Suddenly your reading consisted exclusively of board books about hungry caterpillars and the back of cereal boxes (that never hit as hard as the back of ones you read back in the day) while your toddler threw Cheerios at your head.

“I'll get back to reading when they're older,” you told yourself, like the sweet summer child you were.

Common side effects of not reading - Nostalgia Nation

Warning Signs You Haven't Read a Book in Years

You've started using acronyms in verbal conversations like "LOL" and "TBH" unironically
Your attention span has deteriorated to the point where you can't finish a tweet without checking Instagram
You have strong opinions about the Netflix Top 10 but can't name a book published this decade
You feel a strange emptiness that even scrolling through TikTok for three hours can't fill
You have a countless amount of unread books you’ve stored away in boxes that were once ‘Amazon brown’ but have turned to ‘nicotine ceiling yellow.’

The Modern Paradox: Writers Who Don't Read

Some of us even became “content creators” (excuse me while I throw up in my mouth a little). We pound out newsletters, blogs, and reels while never consuming the written work of others. Like a chef who only eats microwave burritos, we’re producing literary output fueled by YouTube videos and podcast opinions. It’s a shit show, I tell you.

The Return of the Repressed Reader

Then something weird happens around 45. The kids become semi-autonomous humans. Career ambitions settle into a resigned acceptance of your place in the corporate hierarchy. And suddenly, there it is: time. Sweet, unscheduled time.

You pick up a book someone left at your house. You read a paragraph. Then a page. Then you tell your wife you’d prefer to read tonight rather than watch the next episode of Home Improvement you’ve been binging... because you're reading a f***ing book again.

The Recovery Phase

Recovery doesn't happen overnight. You'll still waste hours watching people react to other people reacting to movie trailers. But gradually, you'll find yourself reading more. The dopamine hit from finishing a chapter starts to compete with the hollow satisfaction of clearing your email inbox.

You might even join a book club, though let's be honest, you’re not sure how that’s all going to work out, because God forbid they select a book you don’t want to read and you have to think of an excuse to not make it to the meetups until they select a book that interests you. But, you actually might show up if they keep serving wine.

Prognosis

There is no cure for the reading bug once it returns. Side effects include developing opinions that aren't based on Threads, using multisyllabic words in conversation, and occasionally referencing books that make you sound pretentious at dinner parties.

But honestly? After years of brain atrophy from doom-scrolling and binge-watching, it feels pretty damn good to get lost in a story again. Like reconnecting with an old friend who reminds you who you used to be.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a book I've been meaning to read since 2008.

Pro-Tip

You might want to start with comic books, TPBs or graphic novels… I’ve found that illustrated or partly illustrated books are a great way to ease into reading again. I just picked up The Graveyard Club* by R.L. Stine and it’s a great supplement read so far to keep me on edge in case I relapse from reading novels and biographies!

How’s your reading life going? I’m genuinely curious. Can you relate to any of this or have you been reading without any interruptions over the years. If you have, I salute you, that’s incredible. Admittedly, I’ve gone through some dark ages and now I’m back again enjoying one of my early loves, reading for the love of reading.
And with all that said, thank you for reading my newsletter…,

~ JT

This Week in the 80s

»» Movies & TV

1980 - The Empire Strikes Back premiered in theaters, becoming the year's highest-grossing film. Directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Billy Dee Williams, it proved that sequels could actually be better than the original.
1984 - The final episode of Hart to Hart aired on ABC after 5 seasons and 110 episodes.
1985 - Rambo: First Blood Part II premiered in theaters, with George P. Cosmatos directing Sylvester Stallone's return as the one-man army. The film became 1985's second-highest grossing movie, losing the top spot only to Back to the Future.
1987 - Beverly Hills Cop II hit theaters with Tony Scott directing Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Astin, and Ronny Cox. With a $20 million budget, the film earned an impressive $300 million at the box office!
1988 - Willow premiered, directed by Ron Howard and starring Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis. Despite its $35 million budget, the fantasy film earned $57.3 million at the box office. Respectable, but not quite the blockbuster George Lucas had hoped for.

»» Music

1989 - Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" hit #1 on the US Billboard charts, holding the top spot from May 20 through June 2. The song also reached #1 in Canada, cementing Abdul's transition from choreographer to pop superstar.