“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” -G.R.R. Martin

One thing to remember, people who “judged” you for doing what you like are unhappy people. They see you being happy with simple things and they are unable to achieve that level of happiness, so they say things to poison you. Don’t go to their level, the best revenge is to be happy and to show them their opinions does not matter to you.

You are still young and figuring yourself out. One day you will make that revelation yourself, that everyone doesn’t know what they are doing in life. Every adult is stumbling through life and making it up as they go. And the best happiness comes from not giving a crap.

As for reigniting your passion, I would first cut back on social media, especially short videos. YT shorts, IG reels, and Tick Tok are all designed to shorten your attention spans. It gives you short bursts of dopamine but does a lot more harm than good.

Get back on track with light stuff, like webtoons, manga, or light novels. Browse through book stores or libraries if you can. There’s a pleasure and rush physically taking a book home and feeling the excitement to read.

Allot yourself some quiet time. Put away your phone, have your favorite drink and snack and have a bit of you time and read. Play music, light a candle, put on a face mask, wear your favorite PJ’s. Treat it as a form of self care. Let your brain reassociate reading with pleasure. Before you know it, you’ll be addicted again.