Escape Routes.

“Dear diary,

I have been doing some thinking over the past few days- very unusual of me, yes. But I have realized that by merely ‘hanging out’ with people, or socializing, I’m only tiring myself out. I feel like I don’t belong there. At times (all the time, actually), all I need is a cup of hot cocoa, my comforter and a book. That is all it takes for me to escape this world…”

Those of you who maintain a journal might have penned down something similar to this, at one point or another. Those of you who don’t might have thought about it, in the very least. The point is that all of us go through similar emotions, and that’s where we stand at crossroads. We are given two options: taking an escape route or brooding over certain situations. These escape mechanisms can range from watching Netflix for hours at a stretch to doing something creative (I dunno! Painting or writing, maybe?) or maybe even trying a hand at cooking! If you’re anything like Monica Geller, though, you’ll probably end up stress- cleaning the entire place! (I know!)

 

“Escape routes are all about finding inner peace. They are like roads that people very rarely choose to tread on. The more you choose an escape route, the more you will start appreciating the smaller things in life.”

For example, after a long, hard day of work, you choose to take a walk, you tend to notice very minute things such as the chirping of the birds and crickets, the trees, the freshly mown grass- things that you wouldn’t normally pay much attention to. Escape routes clear your mind and make you focus on the smaller things.

READING:

There is a whole world of people out there who prefer to read books in order to escape reality, and I am one of them. Personally, if I have a book in hand, all I would do all day is sit (read as ‘change reading positions every five minutes’) and read until I have finished the book. Then I’d probably sit and hate myself for reading it so fast because I’d have to reel myself back to reality and I swear, it is the hardest thing to do once you have experienced the world between the pages of a book. A reader’s imagination runs wild; he is capable of picturing the characters and the scenes, and even hear the voices of the characters by just reading. If you are an avid reader, you have lived perhaps a thousand lives without actually having realized it. A person who reads lives a several lives in his own lifetime.

 

WRITING:

A very early, but effective escape route is writing. Writing in its purest form itself is a beautiful means to express ourselves. What speech fails to express, pen and paper accomplish. It is very rightfully put into words that ‘The pen is mightier than the sword”, and the writers couldn’t agree better. Poetry, journal writing, story writing, song writing- they are all different variants of the same escape route: writing. Expressing our emotions through words is an art in itself. Writing is very beneficial as it stretches our IQ, boosts memory and comprehension, strengthens self- discipline and heals us mentally, physically and emotionally. Crucial habits like patience and consistency are developed once we start writing.

MUSIC:

Music in any form, is one of the best ways to escape the world. Music makes us happier. Music actually helps us to reduce the pain that we’re going through, be it mental, physical or emotional. The levels of depression and anxiety are drastically reduced when we listen to music. Listening to music can also help us to trigger old memories, depending upon the kind of music we are listening to. This method is often used to revive memories of people and regain partial or full access to them. Music often has a very positive effect over the mood, psyche, pain and the quality of a person’s life as well.

ART:

The composition of colours in a piece of art can usually tell us a lot about the psychology of the artist. This may include any form of expressive art like dance, drawing, painting etc. Art is a direct and pictorial representation of the mind, making art one of the most effective escape routes. Art tells us that there are various possibilities and perspectives to a situation. It helps people to express their views in a unique manner, since every other art form is different than its counterparts. Being able to express oneself through art helps us to develop our creative side and reduce stress levels.

Sure, there are many more escape routes that a person can take; it depends upon the present condition of the person. They might want to sleep it off or simply take a walk or go out on a long drive by themselves. Some people tend to take out their aggression by working out for hours together at the gym. Every person has their own escape route. There may be several routes to escape reality for a while, but in the end, the purpose that they serve is the same- inner peace.

“If your world is out there and you are in here then the only things that will gather within these walls are time and bitterness. Eventually, that bitterness will eat away at you and leave nothing behind but resentment and hate.”
― R.D. Ronald, The Zombie Room.

Comment below and let me know what your preferred escape route is!

Cheerio! Xx