Writing as stress relief? Or stress avoidance? Or is there a difference?

[GeorgeGlass]

A couple of months ago, my boss left, and I moved into her position as manager of my department. The adjustment has been pretty stressful, particularly given that I'm an introvert doing a job formerly held by an extrovert.

Even though I have less spare time than ever, I find myself writing more, because escaping into my imaginary worlds helps me with the stress. At least, it FEELS like it helps.

But I do wonder whether escapism is really a valid way of dealing with stress in the long term. Will this come back to bite me at some point (like that line from Seinfeld: "Serenity now, insanity later")? I'm not sure. But I suppose it's healthier than at least some of the alternatives, like self-medicating, or picking fights with burly strangers.

[BronxWench]

In all honesty, I think writing, and the inherent escapism of living for a time in another world of one's own creation, is probably one of the healthiest and sanest responses to stress that there is.

It's often easier to face hard issues in the settings we create and control, and I'm frequently surprised when I see a solution to a real life problem after I've been writing about something quite different. The skills I use as a writer to resolve conflict in my stories and among my characters seem to trigger a sort of thinking outside the box effect in my real life, if that makes any sense.

[JayDee]

I aways thought it was great for stress relief and a creative outlet.

And then I met frittle.

[BronxWench]

I aways thought it was great for stress relief and a creative outlet.

And then I met frittle.

::dies laughing::

[DirtyAngel]

its terrible, you'll sink deeper and deeper into your make believe woeld, leaving reality farther and farther behind until you never surface from the world and characters you created and the police find your emaciated body slumped over the keyboard, where you starved to death half way through witing a sex scene between a human/cat man and a dog girl...or not.

[GeorgeGlass]

In all honesty, I think writing, and the inherent escapism of living for a time in another world of one's own creation, is probably one of the healthiest and sanest responses to stress that there is.

It's often easier to face hard issues in the settings we create and control, and I'm frequently surprised when I see a solution to a real life problem after I've been writing about something quite different. The skills I use as a writer to resolve conflict in my stories and among my characters seem to trigger a sort of thinking outside the box effect in my real life, if that makes any sense.

That makes total sense. I hadn't thought about the "writing as self-guided therapy" angle.

I aways thought it was great for stress relief and a creative outlet.

And then I met frittle.

Which is...candy? Or some sort of degenerative bone disease?

its terrible, you'll sink deeper and deeper into your make believe woeld, leaving reality farther and farther behind until you never surface from the world and characters you created and the police find your emaciated body slumped over the keyboard, where you starved to death half way through witing a sex scene between a human/cat man and a dog girl...or not.

How did you know what my next story is about? Who blabbed? TELL ME!

[DirtyAngel]

I'm spying on you through your webcam....

[BronxWench]

Per the Urban Dictionary:

frittle

n. a temporary mark on the skin caused by the impression of a textured surface.

hey, where did u get that frittle on your left cheek?

[DirtyAngel]

such a persional question BW, and stop looking at my bum...well ok, you can look one more time

Edited August 16, 2015 by DirtyAngel

[BronxWench]

And that is exactly what happened to my characters...

[magusfang]

That's right BW encourage her...

[BronxWench]

Magus, darling, it's my job to encourage the writers. I'm very good at it, too.

[DirtyAngel]

that's right, you tell him BW; besides I'm very incorrigible...or is that encourageable...? Eh...

[magusfang]

that's right, you tell him BW; besides I'm very incorrigible...or is that encourageable...? Eh...

I vote for the first one

[DirtyAngel]

Don't let him fool you, he loves that I'm incorrigible