Many individuals fall into the abuse of substances as a coping mechanism for external obstacles they encounter. As many substances have a period of immediate gratification, the pleasurable feelings that are experienced can be used to escape reality. This may be effective in the moment, but the long-term consequences of using this escape can be extremely dangerous.
Alternative Methods
By using alternative options to escape from reality, you can learn to regulate your emotions in a healthy way and take the space you need without the influence of a substance. By spreading awareness of these alternative methods, we can potentially reduce the risk of individuals initially choosing to use a substance and lower the potential of an addiction developing.
Meditation
Meditation can be used to promote a variety of peaceful or pleasant sensations without the influence of any substances. By practicing different forms of meditation, you can allow your mind to relax to a state that helps you transcend your current stressful reality. Meditation is an exceptional way to calm your thoughts and relax your body and mind.
Practicing mindfulness during this time can be extremely beneficial. By focusing on your current situation, you can have the ability to let go of external stressors and devote your full attention to the present. As you practice reaching the state of mindfulness, it can become a natural state of mind. Falling into this state when you feel overwhelmed can help you calm down and look at what you can do in this exact moment to alter the situation for the better.
Exercise
The act of physical activity or exercise can effectively help with many problems. Using exercise to help you escape the reality of your problems can be very efficient. When you engage in physical activity, endorphins are released throughout your body, promoting feelings of well-being. After some good exercise, many individuals find they forget about their problems and feel sensations of pleasure shortly after. Fortunately, gaining these pleasurable sensations from exercise does not come with the negative health consequences of substance use.
Along with providing positive sensations and an escape from reality, exercise also helps to ensure we are keeping our bodies healthy. There are many benefits of being physically active for our mental and physical health.
Stress Management
Finding alternative solutions to manage your stress in small amounts and not letting stress get to a point that it overwhelms your mind with concerns can help you to avoid using substances to escape these stressors. When you experience small levels of stress, engage in an activity to manage that stress immediately. Sometimes this means something as simple as squeezing a stress ball for a few minutes. Other times it involves developing a self-care routine.
By letting out your feelings of stress, you can tackle the problem that is leading to these stressful feelings and acknowledge them before they grow out of control. Individuals who struggle to regulate their stress have a greater potential of using substances to escape from their stressors, which can lead to addiction.
As stress builds, it becomes harder to manage. Taking care of stress right away and using techniques to regulate your emotions can help you avoid reaching this stage. As stress can influence the onset of addiction, managing your stress is extremely important.
Reading
Reading has various benefits on the state of our mental health and overall thought processing. If you enjoy reading, pick up a favorite book or a new book that has been on your list to read. Engaging in a story outside of your reality can allow your mind to focus on the problems of the characters, forgetting about your own struggles for a while.
Self-help books can be beneficial for some individuals to help them gain knowledge and skills to help them overcome their current stressors. There are many useful books to help motivate success if you feel that this genre of book would benefit you. For others, reading self-help books may not feel like an escape, but a reminder of upcoming obstacles.
For many people, just enjoying a fictional story is more beneficial when trying to escape reality. It can be very helpful to take a break from attempting to solve your problems, sit back, and relax. Enjoying a book is a way to refocus your thoughts and take a break for a while. In addition to the escapism provided by fiction books, watching fictional characters go through various situations can provide you with insight and understanding that you may choose to apply to your own life when you focus on it again.
Nature
A fun way to help you release negative emotions and escape reality is to go outside and explore your surroundings. Go on a peaceful nature walk, take a relaxing drive, or go explore an area you have never visited. Being in a new environment without reminders of your struggles can help you to reset and regain focus moving forward.
Many individuals get caught in the cycle of addiction by using substances to escape their reality. As your mental health worsens, the desire to continue this habit is reinforced as a coping mechanism. Although the use of substances can provide a temporary escape, it can have severe consequences. Developing alternative strategies to escape reality when you are experiencing heightened emotions can help diminish the temptation to use a substance to relax. By engaging in healthy escape methods, you can slowly begin to improve your emotional regulation and perception of your surroundings. This is an important skill to adopt when you have been using substances to cope with your emotions. If you are currently working through the recovery process, these implementations can be used to help you avoid relapses. To learn more about alternative methods to escape reality, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.
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