A get-away from reality doesn’t seem too bad. We escape from the toils of work, of relationships, of anything that puts stress on us. Here on out, we enter fantasy-land, we choose to be in a state we want to be in to forget our issues. But, how much escaping is too much?
Escapism is something people use to bury their heads in to tune out whatever they don’t want to face. However, wherever we go, our problems go with us. It’s not something we can elude forever. We can take refuge in music, gaming, gallery-hopping, retail therapy or in travelling. We can delve into books and change topics of conversation to something more light-hearted and enjoyable. Whatever it is though, we can escape only to a certain extent – there is the good and bad.
Escaping from issues for a moment can help keep us emotionally, mentally and perhaps even physically in check. Take this too far though, and you may get a distorted sense of what’s real. When you find yourself in your head imagining scenarios different from the practicalities of your own life for a majority part of your day, then you are in it deep.
Escapism
n. the tendency to escape from the real world to the delight or security of a fantasy world. Escapism may reflect a periodic, normal, and common impulse, as might be seen in harmless daydreams, or it may be evidence of or accompany symptoms of neurosis or more serious mental pathology.
Next time you find yourself diverting attention from obstacles, be cognizant of your actions. Check in with yourself to see how much time is spent on solving the problem verses how much time is spent on escaping from it. Recognize the root of the problem and understand that there is always a fix to something – if there is a way in, there must be a way out.
