Do you ever feel like you just need to get away from it all? Run away for a little bit and relax, take a break from your everyday stressors. Do you ever fantasize about being somewhere else? Someone else? Do you ever wish you could shut out the world around you and enjoy some peace and quiet? Or the opposite, get away from the quiet into some place that is alive and happening? Chances are you've answered yes to at least one of these questions. There's a word for this, it's called escapism.
If you google escapism you'll find that its definition according to Google is "the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy." To a lot of people this seems silly--being able to run away from your problems is immature and unnecessary--they would be, in many people's opinion, wrong. Many folks use escapism to help cope with everyday life. In some societies (including our own) it's essential to enjoy life to it's fullest. There may be some people, even some that you know, that use escapism to get away from things like an abusive home life, depression, anxiety, paranoia, PTSD, among other things. But sometimes, someone who may not be struggling with any of these things still needs escapism. Every day you will face stressors that will push you to your limits, and escapism is a method to help cope with these sort of things. Stressors could be people, situations, work, or literally anything else.
So how can someone use escapism? There are, as with many other things, healthy and unhealthy ways to use it. Drugs and self-harm would be examples of unhealthy ways to utilize escapism. There are other, healthier, ways to go about this.
Movies offer a fantasy that can transport you to a different world. What would you do in the movie's setting? What if you were the main character? The villain? Would you be friends with anyone in the movie?
Books are the old school version of the aforementioned. What makes books unique is they allow you to paint the pictures yourself. You decide what the setting looks like to you. You decide the facial expressions and the emotions portrayed. You can place yourself anywhere inside or outside the book.
Video games offer an incredible platform to escape from any situation you may be in. Role playing games specifically offer you the ability to see and experience something you can't in real life.
There are obviously many more ways to escape the stress of life. What's yours?
