How to Understand People: Why we need to distract our minds

Between work, kids, and other responsibilities, human beings need a break from the humdrum of everyday life. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the wherewithal to set off on a cruise to the Bahamas every time boredom strikes.

So what is one to do to break the tedium?

That's when we resort to "mental" escapism in the form of:

Reading novels
Watching movies or soap operas
Playing video games
Writing stories

And so on.

I advise everyone to make the effort to carve out time in their busy schedules to engage in these activities. You don't have to be a movie buff or a bibliophile to enjoy a flick at the local theater or thumb through the pages of a good book or magazine.

The stresses of daily life can weigh on us and leave us feeling drained sometimes-- whether physically or emotionally. Mentally retreating into a different world -- be it one conceived by James Cameron, Nicholas Sparks, or yourself -- allows us to cast our worries aside at least temporarily and get swept away by an intriguing storyline.

We root for and sympathize with the characters who strive to do good deeds, or whose circumstances most closely mirror our own.

Again, if you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to set aside some time to watch a movie, read a book, or even write a story of your own. When you disconnect from "real life," you'll feel a whole lot more refreshed once it's time to reenter it.

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