Have you ever just gotten a feeling that you were transported into another world? It can be a very consuming feeling and seems as though you are in a place better for your mind. If you have ever found yourself absorbed in a film or maybe engrossed in a really good book that you can’t seem to put down, you may have been caught in a form of escapism. Escapism is defined as the repeated use of an activity or behavior to distract the mind from negative or unpleasant emotions.

Well, not to assume anything, but if I could guess I’d say that most of us had participated in escapism at some point, or maybe even all of the time. In my last blog post, I touched a little on how the grating realities of life can be a lot sometimes and whether it’s your own mental health, a pandemic, or social issues occurring in the world, it’s understandable why some may need a break. I have always looked at escapism as a healthy coping mechanism, but it turns out there are some forms of escapism that can be detrimental to your health and well-being. In excess, escapism is unhealthy and there are many negative “escapist strategies.”

Sometimes escapism occurs when you are trying to avoid something. Some people escape by seeking out alternative activities, like sleeping, and some choose to drown themselves in their work. There are a lot of instances where people distract themselves with addictions like binge eating, smoking, alcohol, or drugs. Facing addiction for one, is made harder through the usage of drugs and alcohol and can prohibit one’s ability to acknowledge the reality of their addiction, leading to further negative realities. In relationships, you also see escapism arise, for example when people rebound after breakups. After being hurt that person wants that feeling of being wanted by someone, anyone, to distract from the pain of the breakup. In reality, the issues are never being addressed or acknowledged, they are still there, silent but slowly waiting till they can resurface in another manner. Another downside of escapism is that it can be used to constantly suppress emotions instead of actually feeling them and can even further lead to alcohol and substance abuse. One analysis published by sciencedirect.com also linked suppressing emotions to a 35% increased risk of death and a 70% risk of death by cancer and a variety of other serious health issues.

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Escapism can also lead to lost time, procrastination, falling behind, and even withdrawal from social relationships and functions due mostly to avoidance. Those who stay put in jobs they are unhappy in because of their fear of failure from pursuing what they are truly passionate about and those who avoid challenges in fear of possible suffering or embarrassment. People who avoid issues because they think they lack the strength to face them. In life, many people try to escape from various things in an attempt to stifle their fears, unhappiness, their past, or their pain. However, avoiding your problems won’t solve them, they are still there and will be when you inevitably have to face them. It’s important to acknowledge and deal with what you are trying to “escape,” from or you will continue to find yourself stuck in recurring patterns and situations, doing the same things over and over, never moving forward with the same feelings and thoughts as before, in a continuous loop.

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There are many sides to escapism and despite the many negative risks, escapism isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Like I mentioned earlier, getting lost in a good book or movie, meditating, using exercise as form of escapism are all great ways to manage stress and take a break from the real world. However, in excess, escapism is unhealthy and there are negative “escapist strategies.” Some ways to determine if you are using escapism in a healthy way is to ask yourself what is your motivation for partaking in it. Ask yourself if you are running from something and if try to determine if its a specific thing or perhaps a bigger, underlying issue. Sometimes feeling the need to escape is your subconscious telling you to take a break. I think with all of this, perspective plays a key role. Escapist tendencies are a natural part of life for everyone, especially when you are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

After Covid entered our lives; more specifically the lockdown that came with it, that “little” period of isolation really changed the trajectory of my life. During that period I have begun to focus on implementing mindfulness in my life. In doing so, I have found a passion for being present and being fully engaged in the moment. Working on this helped me tremendously with being more cognizant of my own mental and emotional well-being and has heavily affected how I go through life in many positive ways. This kind of cognitive mindfulness has been extremely fulfilling and has played a crucial role in my mental, physical, and emotional health. However, to be completely transparent, this mindfulness thing has just been too much these past few weeks.

It is getting to be that time of year (for me at least) when we really push and try to stay on top of our work, obligations, and try to salvage what’s left of our social lives. September especially has kind of always just been a weird month for me. It marks the end of summer and the transition into fall can be exciting but the days just seem to drag on. We are fully immersed in school and work, there are no holidays to look forward to and to top it all off the weather is bipolar (especially in Pennsylvania). Besides this “September gloom,” I am not sure about you, but the semester has gotten to that stage where things are starting to get a little overwhelming. Schoolwork is piling up, and motivation is there but the routine of it all is starting to dim the high hopes I have had for this year.

I have been missing my friends and family members and connecting through text and social media just isn’t doing it. Even though I have really tried to be engaged with people and attend events on and off campus, sometimes I just get that overwhelming feeling of mental burnout. The goal of this blog post was to shed light on these rough patches I know everyone experiences and goes through, especially in college and as a young adult. Most of us have days when we feel helpless, overloaded, or overwhelmed — when dragging ourselves out of bed requires the determination of an Olympian. I think the number one way to prevent or maybe cope with feeling this way is proper self-care. Trying to push through the exhaustion and continuing as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical harm. If you are feeling stressed or disillusioned, it is important to regain balance. While I do encourage you to be engaged and present in the world around you, it merely isn’t realistic to be mindful all of the time. While there are many ways to recharge and focus on yourself I find that having time for yourself gives you the chance to step away from social pressures. Finding time alone and enjoying your own company especially gives you the freedom to explore your passions and promotes personal growth.

It is important to disengage sometimes 

It’s not necessarily healthy to constantly be on this “survival mode,” which is so normalized today. That is why a goal I have this week is to unplug and disengage. I’ve decided to plan out time for myself everyday this week (at least an hour) where I just turn off notifications and go on a much needed venture in nature. Now, I have no intent on hiking the Tussey Mountain or foraging in the woods during my time alone, but a walk at the park along with a digital detox just may help restore my mental health and well-being a little bit.

I encourage you all to take time to care for yourself in anyway you can, tap into your own thoughts and feelings, and who knows you might feel inspired and renewed for when you return to the bittersweet demands of your everyday.

Sources:

https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/ideas/what-mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy

https://www.lofficiel.cy/psychology/the-benefits-of-a-social-media-cleanse

    As humans, we inevitably struggle, life gets hard sometimes and we can get lost in the monotony of our daily routines. I think a lot of people feel disconnected from the simple pleasures of life. In this fast-paced, highly technological reality we live in today, I think this philosophy of “romanticization,” can inspire us to shift our focus back to more simple activities so we can make them (and life) more enjoyable. To romanticize is by definition to deal with or describe in an idealized fashion; to make something seem better or more appealing than it is. Romanticizing life first became a sort of media trend about turning mundane daily moments into “magical,” moments. Naturally, we get into a set routine and certain daily activities turn into meaningless chunks of time. Romanticizing life won’t solve all of your problems, but I think this philosophy paired with a level of mindfulness can help those mundane moments in life become a lot more enjoyable. This blog post is specifically gonna touch on romanticizing life in college and the benefits of practicing this form of mindfulness as a college student.

   As a college student, the environment can be particularly challenging. There’s a lot of obligations; not only are you in the midst of learning to do everything on your own but you also have midterms, projects, balancing social life and work, and deadlines constantly creeping up on your plate. Usually, at the start of the semester, spirits are high, and as students, we staunchly vow to stick to the academic goals we envision in our heads. We gradually become disenchanted with school work, either starting to slack off or allowing frustration to consume us and turn us into cynical misanthropical beings that walk the campus. I know you’re thinking effective study habits and time management skills will solve these problems but I propose another way to avoid burnout; the philosophy of “romanticizing life.” This idea of romanticizing life stems from mindfulness and positive psychology. It alludes to demonstrating optimism, gratitude, and appreciation for the aesthetics and beauty in life. Mindfulness is a concept that has proven to be one of the best ways to improve your mental health, as it has been shown to decrease anxiety and depression, as well as productivity. Romanticizing your life includes moving through life more intentionally and connecting with the present moment. Romanticizing your life does not mean disregarding the negative aspects of your life. Romanticizing isn’t a way to cope with life, it is about constructing daily living into something more inspiring and meaningful. When you start to romanticize your life, you become the main character of the movie, and every activity of your day-to-day routine become poetic and of quality production. Some things I personally like to do to make college more enjoyable include: 

Creating playlists for school

One of the essential ways to romanticize a school day is to create a good playlist for your walks to class. As you all know Penn State has a huge campus and some walks can take 15-20 minutes long (even if you’re not going to class you will be doing a lot of walking). The music you listen to will influence your mood and how you conduct yourself when you get there. You can literally just create a playlist for anything, you can also think of your music as the background soundtrack of your life. I for one also cannot have complete silence when I study, so I made a study playlist ready to go. You obviously can also just listen to your favorite songs to make homework or studying slightly more pleasurable. 

Finding nice study spots

Something that has worked really well for productivity for me personally is finding a nice study spot. Whether it’s at an academic building or a cute cafe you found, choosing a cute spot to do your work (especially with a coffee), will motivate you to get schoolwork done. As the fall approaches, it’s nice to have a pleasing view and a warm drink in hand while you review those lecture slides for that exam coming up. It may not seem like it, but the setting and environment of certain spaces can really affect your focus and how you choose to spend your time. I recommend finding a set location at a cafe, bookshop, or the university library, which all have a good ambiance and will add an allure to your academic endeavors. 

Even though College most likely won’t be the best four years of your life (even though that is how it’s constantly portrayed in the media) at the end of the day, it all comes down to what you make of it. Romanticizing isn’t guaranteed to make you love your life, but it can be used as a tool to make you appreciate every day just a little more. In my experience, romanticizing life in college has made every day feel a little more digestible and helped a lot with the anxiety that comes with school. College is supposed to be a memorable and enjoyable experience, so why not make the best of it?

Sources:

https://www.self.com/story/romanticize-your-life-benefits

OPINION: College is romanticized

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2012/01/mindfulness-matters

Hello and welcome! This is not going to be a typical self-improvement blog post. Instead, I want to discuss the topic of perfectionism and how it can be harmful. As my first blog post, I thought it would be important to discuss perfectionism, striving for it, and how to accept that being perfect isn’t attainable. While many people conflate perfectionism with positive attributes such as ambition, and having high standards, perfectionism has extremely negative impacts on productivity and leaves most people in a perpetual state of frustration and self-inflicted turmoil. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist myself,  it’s a harsh way to be productive and can be detrimental to self-esteem.

Striving for perfection is harmful for a lot of reasons; for one you tend to lose value in yourself when you inevitably fall short at something (like most humans do). One of the hardest things to do sometimes is accepting that not everything in life will be perfect. Many people spend their entire lives trying to achieve perfection or what they perceive to be perfection. In some cases, they often expect perfection from others which is an impossible challenge thus facilitating a toxic cycle. To truly grasp and understand perfectionism, just look to literature and the fabulous minds that impacted the world. I for one have read many books involving the pursuit of perfection in a variety of ways. A quote from an awe-inspiring memoir, Edith Eger’s “The Choice” has really spoken to me over the years. “Perfectionism is the belief that something is broken — you. So you dress up your brokenness with degrees, achievements, accolades, pieces of paper, none of which can fix what you think you are fixing.” Perfectionism is something that has long shaped how we as people approach accomplishments and try to meet goals. Every human has an innate desire for excellence but it’s key to understand the difference between healthy motivation and self-destructive tendencies. When you indeed pursue perfection, it’s vital to actually learn from your experiences.

Research however suggests perfectionists are intensely self-critical and not willing to take risks for fear of failure and are progressively being viewed as unhealthy and debilitating. Perfectionism is often tied to depression, anxiety, and many other mental health disorders. Thomas Curran’s research shows that perfectionism is rising among young people at a dangerous rate. He also goes into detail about “socially prescribed perfectionism,” or the need to be deemed perfect for others to value you. To be clear I am not saying perfectionism is all bad, in fact striving for it can have a significant impact on your life in beneficial ways. For instance, it has allowed many influential figures to reach millions of people through online platforms, become inspirational leaders, gather the attention of the masses, and foster a strong work ethic. Some individuals might even succeed past those who hold themselves to a lower standard. However, you must remember your journey is not to strive for the unattainable and that failures are not just acceptable but inevitable. Wanting to be perfect is unrealistic and you can only better yourself, not perfect yourself. As imperfect people, we should strive to learn from failure and utilize our knowledge gained from it.  

sources: https://hbr.org/2018/01/perfectionism-is-increasing-and-thats-not-good-news

sources: https://www.thomcurran.com/

Edith Eger, The Choice: Embrace the Possible

https://hbr.org/2019/04/how-to-manage-your-perfectionism

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