Escape

Everyone needs an outlet. Some way to just release the stress of work and responsibilities. People find their escape from all of these things in various ways exercise, music, dance, gardening, etc. Personally I have a couple of ways I can escape all of the worries and stresses in my life for a while swimming, writing, and reading.

Swimming is a great way for me to just zone out for a while and not do any thinking. When I'm swimming all I have to do is concentrate on the stroke I'm doing and controlling my breathing. I get the physical exertion that you just sometimes need when you are really stress and the calming effect of being in the water at the same time. I have loved swimming since I was a kid and it would take forever to get me out of the pool or lake. When I finish swimming there is just a sense of accomplishment and contentment.

Writing is a wonderful way to escape because I get to go into a world that I create with characters I know and that are part of me. Here I get to counter my stress and anxiety with creativity and imagination. Writing lets me take pieces of me and incorporate them into stories that are nothing like my life and so I get to do things I wouldn't normally get to do.

Reading has been my escape for as long as I have known how to read. One night I had trouble sleeping because my brain was in overdrive and thinking about issues way too big for a 7 year old to contemplate. Nevertheless difficult topics were on my mind and my brain just wouldn't quit. Tired and out of idea my parents suggested I start reading before bed so I could push other things out of my mind and think only about the story and the world in which it took place. Little did they know they were creating a monster and sense that night I have read before bed almost every night. When I read I get to step into someone else's life for a while and experience what they do and forget about my world completely for a while. I get to forget myself and my worries and just enjoy a story. Reading gives you a freedom to experience lives, people, and places you might not get to in your normal life. When you're reading you believe that magic is real, you explore space and meet new species, time travel to times past, present, and future. When you're reading there is nothing to outlandish and everything enters the realm of possible.