Do you ever run from reality? Most people run in some fashion. Whether it’s getting lost in a show or podcast. Aimlessly scrolling through social media. Sometimes, it can be intentionally distracting yourself. Other times it is the more obvious forms of “hiding your head in the sand” like drinking alcohol or using substances.
By no means does this writing have the intention of being accusatory or make anyone feel guilty. Running from reality is part of the human condition. Life is hard, scary, and overwhelming. No wonder we want to distract ourselves.
This article is simply to bring up a topic that some people never really think about. Many people just go through their daily lives, doing what they’ve always done. As a therapist, though, it is my job to get individuals to stop, think, and shine a light on their daily lives.
When we start shining that light on daily life, we can start to see the things that might actually be problems. For instance, I often use the example of a person with road rage. A person with road rage is rarely, truly, mad at the car that cut them off. They are really mad because the baby was crying all night and kept them up. Their boss yells at them. Then they received a call about an unpaid bill. Finally, as they’re driving home someone cuts them off. Is that person going to walk through all the prior events and think “I am mad about a lot of little things right now”? Most likely that will not even cross their mind. They are just going to blow their top.
Maybe, though, if that person had a practice of stopping throughout their day to address the issues as they occur, the build-up in that example would not happen.
The stopping and processing of what is happening in our lives, is how we can tap into reality. When we do this, we are addressing how we feel and also acknowledging that things might not be as bad as we tell ourselves.
So the next time you find yourself reaching for your phone, the remote, or a drink perhaps you can ask yourself why. Are you bored? Are you stressed? Are you lonely? Maybe you feel nothing at all. Whatever the reason, simply name it. Acknowledge the reason. This allows you to stay in touch with your thoughts and feelings. It gives you the opportunity to acknowledge your issues. Perhaps, it gives you the opportunity to explore solutions. Then you can start watching cat videos and feel good about the escapism. Because now you are acknowledging and labeling what is going on. Nothing wrong with the occasional escape from daily life. Just be aware that you are trying to escape and the reasons why.
