Escapism: Your Holiday From Reality

Have you ever sat down to binge watch a TV show before a test day or scrolled through your social media unrelentingly minutes before an important meeting? These are just two examples. You could be picking up a video game or starting a whole new book instead of getting to the work at hand. All of these actions are rooting from a subconscious (or conscious) need to escape reality. Reality of the moment or just the reality of your life.

This is called the Escapism Psychology.

What is Escapism?

Wikipedia defines Escapism as “a mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one’s self away from persistent feelings of depression or general sadness.”

It’s something we all resort to but never really recognize every single time we do.

Why do we crave escape from reality?

The fact that humans are the most evolved species isn’t always a blessing. Human are confronted with way more reality than we can take; way more than any other animal on the planet. And to escape an overwhelming reality we have also created for ourselves countless ways to have a sense of escape.

We humans are conscious about our acts and emotions. We express and listen. All this has grown various aspects in a basic human life including bonds, expectations, responsibilities, aspirations and choice. Having a choice makes us feel superior even by a speck of difference. So having a choice to escape what’s going on around is a gift for us as much as it is not.

Now more than ever do we have endless options to escape right at our finger tips. One tap, one swipe, you are into a world you’d rather float in than face the problem at hand. Technology and Escapism have found in each other a purpose and a bond that shall last until the end of time but nonetheless, some of us understand it’s not a healthy pairing to make, so often. Isn’t that what all the social media platforms lay their foundations upon? You can be anything in the virtual world! Anything you want to be and they are only going to see what you choose to show.

It has created for us a false sense of reality. One where we want escape every time our own reality in the real world gets overwhelming or boring.

I remember the only way I made myself wake up really early on test days is by promising to let myself scroll through Instagram for first 10 minutes of waking up. And then I was awake and I have to get to studying now. It’s not the right way but it helped. And as long as it did I didn’t mind using an escape to calm my anxiety of having to wake up at 3 and have lots to finish if I want to get the grade I desire.

This brings me to the point- Is escapism healthy or not?

I’ve read somewhere that Escapism is a double-edged sword. That’s a precise way of putting it.

As much as there is a need to face reality and solve the issue at hand, escaping has served as a coping technique for us for a long time now. Although it important to recognize when it is turning into a problem. It is necessary that we return to reality, face it and solve it. Otherwise we are doomed.

So the answer is- escaping can serve you well, only if you learn to control it. Use it to your advantage, gather the energy and perspective to digest the reality, work your way through and continue living a little more triumphantly.

How to escape to your advantage?

Escapism is a deeply embedded quality in most us that is almost impossible to get rid of (though it is possible if you try hard). So the best we can do is set some strict rules to make the most of it without paving way for the cons.

One of the ways we escape is by daydreaming. Imagining all nice things we could have, basically escaping to the future of our dreams. Although it is okay to build dreams with open eyes once in a while, it is better if it could be made productive. Instead of constantly getting distracted by these dreams opt to create a vision board. Stick all kinds of pictures that look like your dream or add words or statements that speak of it. It gives you a perspective of where you want to see yourself in say- a year or a few years. The places you want to visit, where you want to be professionally and personally and how you want to feel as a person. You can keep adding to it as you go on. That way you have it before your eyes and there is more chance that you will work towards it and less that you will keep dreaming about it.
Sometimes daydreams say a lot about what you are craving in life, probably something you are missing. Sit down and heed those thoughts. See if you can do something about it- fix it or work towards getting it. If nothing can be done then it is better you recognize that it is out of your reach and do not waste your emotions over it. Pick yourself up and move on. It’s hard but in the long run, you will be glad you did it.
Strictly avoid entertainment or imagination when you have to be concentrating on something important. You have a big test tomorrow, leave your gadgets in a different room and make yourself focus on the book. One trick to making this work is to set periodic rewards. Small rewards such as- finishing the task will earn you a piece of cake or checking social media for few minutes or something as basic as getting away from the desk and taking a leisure walk around the house.
In some cases you just have to understand that putting off the problem will do no good and the sooner you tackle it- the lesser the damage. This could apply to situations such as talking about a relationship issue with your partner or expressing concerns about your job or pay to your boss.
Last minute pressure can cause anxiety and stress that will push you all the more to pick up distractions. Avoid it. Schedule properly and finish the tasks to not let things pile up in the end.
Do not turn to substance abuse for escape. It can take you down a bad path and before you know it you have zero control over your actions or even your life. Overeating and gambling are a few other toxic methods of escaping the prevailing problems of life. These can easily stem into severe addictions and it’s just a matter of time before you are a slave to them.
When you are bothered about something that is depressing you, your thoughts could turn dark and gloomy, in some cases harmful. Try to keep yourself occupied to not let your mind zoom in on the problems. This does not mean you avoid you feelings. Talk about it to your friends or seek a therapist’s help. The point here is to not let you thoughts devour you. Because then you might find yourself losing control.

In conclusion, all there is to say is the pleasure derived from escaping is clearly not real. You have to deal with our reality, tackle issues, solve them and move on in order to be able to stabilize your life again. Escapism is necessary but it is imperative that you monitor and take action before it starts becoming your only solution to everything. So find balance in everything you do. If you can’t and always find yourself ending up with empty deadlines and other chain of troubles, be honest with yourself and admit that you are powerless when it comes to that means of escape you are using. It doesn’t make you weak. It only makes you a person who takes responsibility of their own self and does not let a weakness take over your life.