Escaping the Pandemic

Have you ever wanted to just escape everyday responsibilities and seek refuge in a fantasy world? Ever find yourself daydreaming fueled by nostalgic memories? Ever listen to a song, play a videogame, binge watch a show, go on a long vacation, appreciating the beauty of nature, or find yourself immersed in a movie and question where did the time go? Sometimes you can feel overloaded by reality. Everyone feels the need to occasionally escape reality. We all utilize various escape strategies to help cope with the harsh realities life has to offer. Sometimes this can happen out of sheer boredom or when coping with stress. Emotional letdowns are inseparable from human existence. There is no question life is stressful, making coping strategies essential when getting through the day to day. The world has become more and more fast-paced leaving less time for leisure activities. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic many people finding themselves out of work. As a result, more and more Americans are finding themselves engaging in activities to escape from the stress of seeking employment. Others find themselves with much more leisure time, leading to more methods of escape. Unfortunately, the reality of living during COVID-19 gave all a taste of what it is like to be home more often.  The question is, are all escape methods bad for the human psyche, or can they be beneficial?

Escapism, as defined by the American Psychological Association, “the tendency to escape from the real world to the delight or security of a fantasy world”. The word “Escapism” has a stigma associated with it, that it is unhealthy or causes someone to spend too much time unproductively. Some methods of escape are unquestionable unhealthy such as drugs and alcohol which involve a detachment from reality. Unhealthy coping strategies can lead to addictions and have detrimental psychological and physiological effects. Many activities when done in access can lead to addiction. That old saying, “too much of anything is bad”, rings a bell.

So, what about some healthier methods of escape? Hobbies that are often seen as healthy are reading, listening to music, and traveling. What about gaming (playing videogames)? It is an ongoing debate if gaming is more harmful than beneficial. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 160 million+ Americans play online videogames and researchers have found between 0.3 and 1.0 percent of those would qualify for an internet gaming disorder. An important distinction to point out is those who are passionately engaged in gaming and those who are playing as an unhealthy coping resource. Obviously, playing video games for 20+ hours a day is bad, but in moderation, it is a fun, social, and engaging leisure activity.

Videogames, gaming culture, merchandise, and Esports (electronic sports) has seen a surge of popularity, especially during the pandemic. As people find themselves at home more often due to COVID-19 they find themselves more engaged online. Gaming has become its own social network where millions of people login online and engage with one another. Most games have some form of online component these days. “It’s proven that social interaction, now readily available through online connectivity in video games, leads to better health outcomes”. (Miller H) Videogames have been tremendously helpful for those with disabilities that prevent them from carrying out daily functions. Ablegaming, a charity whose mission is to “improve the quality of life of those with disabilities through the power of gaming” has helped modify controllers, adapting to a range of different physical disabilities that prevent people from being able to use a controller. (ablegamers.org) Videogames are a way for those with disabilities to forget what they cannot do. Loneliness is an epidemic on itself and Ablegamers helps those stay connected who cannot. Everyone has the responsibility to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and escaping online is a method where you can stay connected, stay social, but not spread the virus.

 

I believe we all will benefit from turning off the news from time to time and engaging in some healthy forms of escapism.

 

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://dictionary.apa.org/escapism

(n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/internet-gaming

About AbleGamers. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://ablegamers.org/about-ablegamers/

Miller, H. (2019, December 10). ‘It’s my escape.’ How video games help people cope with disabilities. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/10/14/its-my-escape-how-video-games-help-people-cope-with-disabilities/

 

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