Do you prefer reading to socializing? Are you more of an introvert?

Don’t have "the guilties” because you enjoy your alone time. It’s healthy to spend time with yourself. Enjoy the quietness and get lost in a story for a while. 

"The guilties” are a commonly misplaced sense of guilt when enjoying something you feel you shouldn’t. For example, giving up a night out with friends to enjoy a good book can give someone "the guilties”. Although this phenomenon is a growing issue among the reading community, it has a cure. 

If you are a lover of literature who enjoys the company of fictional characters, great adventures, and iconic heroes/heroines from the comfort of your home, you may be at risk of obtaining "the guilties.” There are ways to combat them. Enjoy what you’re doing. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Do not let FOMO (fear of missing out) stir a pit in your stomach. Have fun exploring new realms, meeting new characters, and finding your own inspiration.

Don’t let the “guilties” win.

I've felt the inklings of "the guilties" pressing in when I get a text from a friend who wants to go out... when all I want to do is sit in bed and read until I pass out. It sounds silly and loner-ish to people who crave energy from others, but the chances are they feel "the guilties" when they are doing something else that they love. Maybe it isn't reading. Maybe it's napping, or watching your favourite TV show, or listening to music, or painting and letting that creative side flow.

For me, it's reading and writing. I enjoy stories best when I'm by myself so I can be fully immersed in the world the author is creating. So, when I get a text from someone who wants to spend time with me... but I want to spend time with my current literary adventure and fictional characters, I have to fight off "the guilties" by placing my phone face-down. I ignore the growing FOMO brewing in my chest and settle back into my spot. I drink my tea, and I enjoy reading or writing the rest of that chapter.

I stop thinking about the rest of the world for a little while.

What gives you "the guilties"?