Thats why we read books about faraway lands and explore virtual worlds with powerful avatars.
Too much of it, however, can be detrimental to your productivity and personal growth.
Escapism, in its most basic form, is intentional detachment and distraction from the real world.
Playing sports, telling stories, and even eating food all can be used to escape.
Without escapism, the stresses of everyday lifecould burn you out a lot faster.
Of course, escapism, like anything else,can go too far.
Think of escapism like sugar or salt.
Your productivity can plummet as well.
You dont want to spend your whole life running away from it.
Like stopping a bad habit, however, it takes time.
You probably wont stop cold turkey, and you dont necessarily want to.
You just want to balance it with the rest of your life at a healthy level.
Whatever your poison is, it will be there when you get back.
Theres nothing wrong with refueling via fantasy and entertainment.
Whatever you decide to call it (refueling, recharging, me time, etc.
), that adjustment in language might help you look at your situation in a different light.
Instead ofescapingfrom the mean ol world, youre getting your energy back after spending it being productive.
This reinforces the idea of having a goal.
Perspective can be a powerful thing, so dont underestimate it.
Unfortunately, there is no escape from your circumstances.
It could be debt, a bad roommate, a death in the family, anything.
Pinpoint the issue (or issues) and confront it for a moment.
Maybe you didnt know what it was until now, maybe you did.
Now ask yourself this:
Why do I want to avoid it?
Are there any benefits to avoiding it right now?
There certainly could be some, but likely the cons outweigh the pros.
Maybe you dont even have an answer, and theres no actual reason for avoiding your problem.
The more comfortable you feel in the real world, the less youll feel the need to escape.
My weak-escapism was video games.
They saved my life.
Shift your escapism from fantasy to reality.
You might pick up a new skill that helps out your life situation.
Or maybe youll find a person, place, or thing that makes you want to escape less.
Each time you want to escape, at least take a moment to look at that list.
Additionally, take some time tofigure out your aim in life if you havent already.
Remember, you might change your world to a certain extent.
Escapism can be a good thing, and you owe it to yourself to keep it that way.
Illustration by Jim Cooke.
