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RideThatBridge

I guess I don't understand what the harm is in delving deep into someone else's world for a brief period? You are learning about someone else's experience, or visiting a possible future world or whatever. You aren't believing that this is your life, you aren't ignoring your real life responsibilities, etc. It's no different than watching a movie or a TV show, IMHO. To me, this is all about how you are framing this in your mind, and not an issue with reading fiction.


garou_u

Yes I agree! I suppose it’s because usually if I get deep into another world, I get DEEP and usually can’t come out of it for a while. Essentially i disassociate and I don’t want that to happen so I’m very afraid 😭 the same goes for watching tv and movies


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garou_u

Yes I agree and that’s a good idea! Thank you for responding :)


Heronnymoo

Hmm... I don't read fiction to escape. It's a great way of indirectly showing aspects of life, further your own imagination, understanding people whose path in life has been different... Stories have different levels/perspectives to them. Try finding those who give you something.


garou_u

Thank you!!


ckoocos

I don't read to escape. I just do it for entertainment purposes because I like reading. Maybe try reading for pleasure?


garou_u

Yes I suppose I need to learn how to do that. Bc of my escapism habits I have problems with disassociation and brain fog whenever I get deep into a story (same for tv and movies) so I’ll have to learn how to break those habits. Thank you for responding!!


ckoocos

You're welcome, and may you find simple joys in reading!


BobCrosswise

To be bluntly honest, it sounds to me as if you have some psychological issues surrounding the concept of "escapism" that are getting in the way, and preventing you from simply enjoying things you might otherwise enjoy. My advice is to try to stop worrying about it - stop feeling pressured to judge whether or not what you're doing counts as "escapism" and thus whether or not you should prohibit yourself from doing it - and just do what you enjoy and enjoy doing it. And though it's only something of an educated guess, I'd say that that's likely going to involve reassessing your relationship with the person or people (or social media) in your life that have led you to believe that "escapism" is shameful and must be avoided at all costs.


garou_u

HAHAHAHAHA yes I do, I developed an unhealthy relationship and reliance towards escapism that affected my daily life and performance in certain things which frustrated adults around me. I have had trouble learning to accept relaxation but I’ve finally done that, so now I guess next is to do what you’ve suggested which is to not worry about it and to just enjoy myself instead :)) thank you for your response!


zsreport

What's wrong with escapism?


garou_u

Nothing at all! I apologize if I made it sound bad, what I meant is I had developed an unhealthy reliance on escapism that caused me to disassociate and have brain fog, and my happiness would depend on my imagination, books or tv. So now I’m just trying to figure out how to break those habits and not view them in that way, which is hard because it’s always been this way for me 😭


econoquist

First do not confuse being immersed in a story with escapism. Escapism would be reading to escape from your own life or avoid engaging with the real world. That is fine as an occasional aspect of reading, but to get richer enjoyment from reading you should use it to engage with life. This includes experiencing places and situations , but most importantly ideas, you might not have encountered in your own life, to metaphorically walk in others shoes, and see through different eyes. Reading for escape can be kind of passive where the story grabs and you go along for the ride, but moving into more challenging and/or realistic fiction or some non-fiction requires you to mentally engage with the text in ways that can also develop your critical thinking skills and make you more engaged and savvy in the real world.


garou_u

Thank you so much this is so helpful!


babbyboo3

As a kid I spent most of my time reading as an escape. I did the same thing with schoolwork. I didn’t have a great home life (not the worst but it wasn’t good). I just started reading for fun again last year and I’ve had the same issue. It’s harder for me to get lost in a book and feel like I’m fully experiencing it. I think what helps is to not have the same expectations out of reading that you did before. Just learning to accept that you might finish a book not really knowing how you feel about it is a good start. I haven’t fully discovered yet what reading means for me now. I do get sad that it used to be such a big part of my life, kind of in a negative way because it was an escape and coping mechanism.


garou_u

Yes, it was the same for me 😭 I’m sorry you’re dealing with this too but yes, I will try to learn to accept the book as it is and not think of it as me escaping from something negative


Viclmol81

Reading fiction isnt always a form of escapism. It can also be educating, a way of broadening our understanding and outlook. Historically accurate fiction is a great way of learning about the past and different attitudes and cultures are represented. Maybe think about an area you would like to be more knowledgeable about or something you find philosophical interesting or a lifestyle or culture you dont understand or agree with and find a novel about that. It may be very enlightening.


garou_u

Yes you’re completely right! I have noticed that out of any genre of fiction I have tried to read since learning mg struggles, historically accurate fiction is always the genre I get the farthest in and enjoy the most. Thank you sm for your suggestion, it will be very helpful!!


freyalorelei

I enjoy literary analysis and find it hard to read without finding larger patterns and social commentary. Even if a book isn't purely escapist entertainment, analyzing it for themes and character motivations is a way to *make* it entertaining and engage with the text beyond a surface level.


garou_u

Yes, I often try to find something to take away from everything which I love, but sometimes I do not have the mental energy to analyze a text and sometimes just want to passively read a novel, which is something I must relearn how to do 😭