The Beauty In our Human Need to Escape
March 28th, 2025
Writer: Lola Eiserman
Editor: Zoe Gellert
Recently, I’ve found pleasure in cherishing the little things humans do that have become part of our nature. I’ve noted small stuff we do to ‘escape’ from the world we feel overwhelmed by. Art and music have always been my escape. Dipping a water-soaked brush into a pot of colors and watching how they blend together or feeling the strings of my guitar lying underneath my picked fingers immerses me in a new world.
While we often engage in these habits in hopes of much-needed stress relief and searching for tranquility, I have found beauty in this human-formed art of escapism. Knowing what your body needs to return to equilibrium is a habit formed by self-awareness and understanding. Whether it's knowing you need to feel the gravel beneath your sneakers as you run, your bare feet centered on a yoga mat, music flowing through your body, or putting pen to paper, these activities are an accomplishment of self-knowledge and the mind-body connection.
I have found a lot of negative connotations with understanding the “self,” questioning if this self-discovery runs too deep and discourages us from working as a collective. However, prioritizing a connection with yourself can lead to growth, impacting the individual and humanity. Self-reflection is a process in which we can learn about who we are and what we need. Maintaining what your mind and body need is paramount for our well-being. We need to normalize and foster this connection with ourselves even deeper, which calls for a perspective shift.
Instead of seeing my need for an escape as a discouraging sign of weakness, I see it as a sign of fostering a positive connection with myself. Escaping is an art form. How we orchestrate our worlds to reach harmony is a beautiful thing in human nature. When we escape into our world, we are proving our knowledge of self-worth and self-awareness. How beautiful is that?