I’m choosing this as a topic for a blog post because I need reassurance that I’m not the only one that gets book separation anxiety when I finish a story. In case you don’t know what book separation anxiety is I’ll give you the five most common (and incredibly painful) symptoms.
1. You can’t stop thinking, “But what happens next? I NEED to know!”
Even if the book has a totally satisfying end you just NEED it to continue so you can get a glimpse into the lives of your characters (/friends) and what they’re thoughts and opinions are on things that you care about.
2. You think about the characters all the time and wonder what they would be doing at that moment.
Am I the only one that is having a conversation with someone or observe something and think, “Oh my gosh, if so-and-so was in this situation he/she would totally say _________”? This happens to me for a solid two weeks after I finish a good book and then every once in a while after that.
3. You begin writing fan fiction in your head.
If the end of the book doesn’t feel complete and I wish things went a different way I will daydream fan fictions. It’s an incredibly fun past time and it makes me feel better about the book because I know that there is a possibility for things to have gone a different way.
4. Something you see in your day-to-day life reminds you of the book and you get a stabbing pain in your chest.
Like, a stabbing pain. It’s worst when you’re caught of guard and hear a song or see something that reminds you of a character or the book and it’s like your body realizes it before you mind does and it hurts. :(
5. All you want is to do is continue living in the world of that book for a little bit longer.
Overall, book separation anxiety is not being able to let go of the world that you were immersed in for however long you read the book. No matter how satisfying the end, no matter how many books there are in the series, it will never be enough (an obvious example: Harry Potter).
I wish all of you the best of luck with dealing with your book separation anxiety! I wish I had some suggestions for way to deal with it, but I still struggle with it myself. I think that although it hurts, it’s a good kind of pain. It’s the kind of pain that reminds you what it’s like to love.
