There’s many ways to escape reality.
I’m going to talk about 3.
1. Through movies, books, and games.
I’m a very visual person.
I love watching movies and/or tv shows. When I am able to see the actual characters on screen the story definitely captivates me more than if I was reading it or hearing it.
It’s the suspension and action and romance that gives you that little bit of adrenaline and probably oxytocin that I’m addicted to.
I looooove watching movies. Especially feel good rom-coms.
That’s my jam!
If I have a long or stressful day I go home and watch Friends, The Office, Sweet Home Alabama, My Best Friend’s Wedding, or whatever is on my queue on my watch list.
I get so involved with the characters. I laugh, I cry, I scream.
>> It’s pretty much a soothing self therapy for me.
I imagine the feeling is the same for avid fiction book readers, or gamers.
You get to travel to a whole new world and live the story through a character!
2. Alcohol and bad choices
There might be times when you’ve had a stressful day and you don’t know how to help yourself feel better so you resort to the go-to bad “stress reliever”…alcohol. Personally I’ve done it tons of times.
In my case it started as, “oh I’ve had a long day, l need a girls night!” which is pretty much code for “let’s get drunk!”
Yes, “let’s get drunk!” not “let’s get some drinks!” BIG DIFFERENCE!
Whether you initiate the drinking or you feel peer pressured to do it, please know that you can have a girl’s night out with no alcohol involvement whatsoever.
Go to the movies, the museum, the park, the possibilities are endless.
Alcohol may help you “forget” about your problems for a moment but once it wears off your problems will still be there.
You have to deal with them in real life.
3. Denial
The worst thing you could do is not do anything at all. You can’t keep letting your bills get overdue or your trash pile up or not show up for work because all of those things have consequences that you will eventually have to deal with.
I know we all go through rough patches and if you need help by all means reach out to somebody.
I’ve definitely had my share of days where all I want to do is be in bed or my mind just wanders and focuses on something negative and it spirals all around until my mood gets worse and worse.
But I always fight through it.
Do not let that feeling of depression, or anxiety, or helplessness consume you.
Do something to address it.
>> Seek help and support from your family, friends, your boss, an online community, or the myriad of free resource clinics throughout the city.
You are not alone even when you think you are.
It’s good to escape reality here and there especially when you’re stressed or you need to take your mind off something but make sure you are not clinging to that “escape” instead of dealing with your problems.
Let your “escape” be a resource you are not addicted to or depend on to feel better.
What is your go-to “escape”? How do you integrate it in your every day life?