Rest vs escapism: what's the difference?
Up from down. Day from night. Sky from sea. We know the difference between these two entities. The lines are bold and clear. But what happens when these lines are blurred? What happens when rest blurs into escapism?
So much of our busy lives are full of work. Schedules, meetings and appointments. Running errands, having dinners; it’s non-stop. At the end of the day, we need is rest. A space for our bodies to recuperate. We are guilty of putting off rest when we need it most. What we succumb to is escapism, disguised as rest. Our forms of escapism and rest crossover so it is important to define and identify the two.
Rest
Rest is what we need. Our daily reminder is in the form of sleep. What our bodies need in order to recover and repair. We work during the week and rest on the weekends. But how else can we rest, efficiently?
Sleep: on a day-to-day basis we need sleep though we do not get enough of it. Assignments, work, phones, social life. These are all things we know to affect sleep. We get caught in the mix of the hustle. it is key we prioritise sleep. Make your bedroom a free-tech zone. Staying off electronics an hour before prepares the body for rest mode. Add essential oils to the mix to soothe the body.
Self-Indulge: do the things you love most; going out, painting, spending time with friends, even watching movies. Indulging in your favourite things can improve your mood greatly. Perform activities that do not stress you out. Instead they help keep you going. Mindfully.
Meditation: speaking of mindfulness, meditation is a quiet daily practice involving breath-work. It is great for silencing our minds and its thoughts. Should we feel anxious or overwhelmed, it is essential to focus on the things within our control. This way we can continue on with our lives, with ease and peace.
Staycation: sunny beach. Mountain views. Pebbled streets. A holiday is great way to relax but we don’t have to go far to have one. Booking a hotel not far from home can do wonders. Take the time to be alone, do some self-care, catch up on sleep and relax. Enjoying some time at the spa helps too.
Self-Care: work can get in the way. This is no secret. Even when we shouldn’t, we bring it home. We can put others before ourselves sometime too and we need to understand and accept it is okay to put yourself first. You cannot love others if you don’t love yourself first. Same rules apply; we have to care for ourselves before we do the same for others.
Escapism
If we could procrastinate rest, escapism is what it looks like. This is what we do to avoid responsibilities. We succumb to this in one way or another, which is okay. As long as we do not make escapism our ‘rest’.
Media: We drown ourselves in entertainment. We watch our favourite shows and movies for comfort. The one thing that can be both rest and escapism. The difference is intention. We binge watch or play videogames as a means of brushing off how we may feel. To ease the guilt we may have of not doing what’s important.
Sleep: like binge-watching, sleep provides an escape. Normal hours become ungodly hours and soon enough, you’ve slept through the whole day. It is a gross pattern affecting our circadian rhythm. It’s hard to be bothered when you’re asleep all the time.
Social media: an endless distraction. We scour the Internet and scroll on our screens not particularly in search of anything. Social media can consume our time. It fills the void of abandonment.
Chores: Much like social media, chores fill the void too. We distract ourselves with absent doings. This may appear a good thing but it is not beneficial. It deflects our attention from where it should be. Clearly, doing chores is a good thing but not if it means being avoidant.
Comfort is ease. And avoidance
Escapism is not the goal. Rest is. We prolong escapism long enough to ignore what we must do, but we cannot escape the inevitable. We have responsibilities and priorities that must come first. But once it becomes familiar, we struggle to leave the comfort zone.
Escapism does not benefit us as long as there’s a limit. It can be fun but reality soon sets in. We must set boundaries for ourselves so we do not ‘fall’ victim to our own detriment. It is crucial we don’t neglect our daily needs for a temporary want.
Rest impacts us in a positive way, as opposed to the blurred line that is escapism. We understand our needs and wants but honesty can get in the way of this. We needn’t be harsh on ourselves. We are human after all.