Running From Reality

Escapism is the instinctive moment when the world feels too loud and your mind has quietly made its decision that reality can wait; instead, you find yourself in fiction, food, fantasy, or a three-hour rabbit hole of videos you never meant to watch. It isn't laziness or a weakness, as people love to call it; it's how your brain takes a breath when life becomes a little too unedited. Our minds handle stress the way most of us do Mondays: unwilling but coping somehow. Escapism becomes a temporary exit gate when responsibilities stack up faster than we can sort them out.

There is interesting science underpinning this very human habit. The brain loves quick comfort more than slow achievement. Real life rewards demand patience, effort, discomfort and a bit of emotional stamina, while that series you rewatch for the fifth time gives you instant warmth and zero resistance. To the dopamine circuits in the brain, speed and pleasure are well-understood, and thus they pull us toward what feels good now, not what serves us later. That is why the mind drifts into daydreams during work, why procrastination feels like relief, why a fantasy world is sometimes easier to inhabit than our own.

Escapism isn't the villain here. A healthy dose is a mini vacation for the psyche, a necessary pause that lets you breathe before stepping back with clarity into your life. A movie may inspire, a long walk may clear your thinking, imagination can heal and a temporary retreat may be the reason you come back stronger. It is only when the escape becomes home, comfort grows roots, and reality feels too heavy to return to, that the trouble starts. That is when procrastination becomes paralysis, when problems pile up beneath the surface, and life becomes something you watch rather than live.

So, what do we do with this beautifully flawed coping mechanism? We learn to use it like medicine, and not as escape routes. We take breaks intentionally, not run unconsciously. We pick escapes that nourish us: reading instead of doom scrolling, nature instead of noise, movement instead of numbness. We face one small task at a time, not the whole mountain. And we ask ourselves the hard question gently: am I resting or am I running? And if you find yourself always running, always hiding inside distractions, unable to look directly at your own life without wanting to disappear again, please know you do not have to manage this alone. It is strong and brave to seek help, to speak to someone who is trained to guide you back into your own life with softness and structure. Escapism becomes healthier when reality becomes safer, and sometimes a professional can hold the door open for you when you no longer know how to step back in.

By

Fadil Musthafa

(Consultant Psychologist, ushaar.com)