Escapism. The word conjures up pictures of travel, music, reading and video games. Pictures of procrastination and irresponsibility. Pictures of pleasure and relaxation. It’s defined as “the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities,” and as the antonym of realism. Escapism gets a lot of bad press – it’s often portrayed as leaving reality behind to live in a fantasy world, and as neglecting things necessary to your well-being and growth, such as studying or doing your laundry. Rather than focussing on its positive definition as a relief from arduous or unpleasant tasks, it is often frowned upon as encouraging a delusional approach to life.

I disagree. Escapism, when taken too far, can indeed be dangerous and lead to unhappiness. Excessive escapism is one of the signs of poor mental health and of somebody who is struggling to cope. However, that is no longer escapism but mere avoidance. Escapism implies a relief or a distraction, whereas avoidance implies something more permanent: it implies a constant and conscious effort to prevent unpleasant situations from occurring and to remove oneself from them should they do so. Escapism, on the other hand, is temporary. It serves to restore feelings of calm and relaxation, so that resuming the tasks at hand appears more bearable. Escapism is something that should be encouraged: it fosters creativity, it prevents life from becoming mundane, and it provides a relief from stress and allows you to step away from your emotions when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

“Excessive escapism is one of the signs of poor mental health and of somebody who is struggling to cope”

But while I’m an advocate of the concept of escapism, I’m not an advocate of the name. The reason why escapism and avoidance are so often thrown in the same bag is because one of the meanings of ‘to escape’ is (you guessed it) ‘to avoid’. This association is sadly quite revealing of how we see the world: work, family and friends are all part of the “real world”, and yet by trying to “escape” it, we are leaving them behind too. Instead of the word ‘escapism’, we should use the terms ‘refuelling’ or ‘recharging’.

Day-to-day tasks can be monotonous and draining, but by doing activities you enjoy, you regain your energy. There’s a difference between somebody who is happy at home/work but looks forward to a holiday as a chance to take a break in a new place, and somebody who feels a constant need to travel because they are dissatisfied with life and seeking fulfilment. Escapism is a tool for having a better relationship with reality, for seeing it in all its richness and finding joy in your experiences. Healthy escapism is about choosing the activities that will best help you do that and that you enjoy the most. These won’t be the same for everybody, nor even the same from one day to the next; sometimes a long bath will be better than going out with friends and vice versa.

The more fun and enjoyable you make real life, the less you’ll have the urge to escape it. Choosing fun real-life experiences over escapism can help, and I’m a great fan of the “real life, right now rule”. Say you want to read a book but you’ve also been invited out for a meal. There’s no right or wrong answer in what you choose. By reading a book, you’ll be getting time to yourself to recharge, and by going out for a meal you’ll have a good time with friends. The difference is that for the latter you’ll be enjoying yourself whilst interacting with the world around you, thus making your perception of the world a more positive one. It’s important to find these positive interactions with reality, at the risk of wanting to avoid it and thereby missing out on the good experiences altogether. This is often a struggle for people with mental health issues who find that their perception of reality is mostly negative, due to bad experiences or anticipation of bad experiences, which then leads to excessive escapism. It’s easier said than done to change one’s perception of reality, but by fostering a positive view of it, escapism then becomes a tool to enhance life and not a cause of missing out on it.