Leaving Toxic Situations Is Not Escapism
When people tell me about their problems, I sometimes come to see that the underlying issue is that they misunderstand escapism. And that misunderstanding stops them from leaving an unhealthy relationship or environment. For example: A person in an abusive relationship thinks that she shouldn’t leave, because she thinks that’s “escapism”. A person working in a toxic office environment thinks that he shouldn’t leave, because he thinks that’s “escapism”. Actually, their leaving can be called escaping, but not “escapism”. In fact, their leaving would be proper action, since it leads them out of suffering. What Escapism Really Means Escapism is about diverting your attention from something unpleasant happening in your life. That unpleasant thing may be in the physical world or just in your mind in the form of thoughts and feelings. Escapism may be done with the mind alone, or with the help of some physical activity or substance. For instance: Avoiding making decisions you need to m...