Is there an escape from the tyranny of the clock?

Painting, baking, and reeling...is "escape therapies" another fancy phrase for hobbies or coping mechanisms?

Why does time feel so weird in this pandemic?

While days might bear an uncanny resemblance to each other, here's how people are escaping the tyranny of the clock.

Via Pinterest

Painting through the pandemic

Shalabha Sarath, an international relations student at Shiv Nadar University, says "When I was aged close to two, I would direct my mother to draw cartoon characters on pieces of thermocol sheets and color them in shades that I chose. Colour has always fascinated me because it allowed me to set up an aesthetic, a creative circumstance that I could entirely control. When things began to look increasingly bleak, new color palettes or a fresh tone of a good hue made my days better. There is no better form of escapism than to paint streets that you cannot visit in the foreseeable future."

Art in times of crisis

Atiriya Singh, an Economics student from Delhi University talks about life lessons through intricate mandala art."So I've always had a knack for intricate work and thought Mandala art might be something I'm good at but never gave it a shot because of lack of time and more truthfully, laziness. But having nothing to do in quarantine was really getting to me and that's when I finally and gave Mandala art a try and it definitely proved to be a worthwhile escape. The patience it takes to make a design not kills time but feels therapeutic as well. On top of that, I feel it also gave me a life lesson of sorts, in the sense that things that look too damn hard and impossible from the outside, just really require patience and effort on our part, the beautiful bigger picture will span out eventually."

Online gaming as a social lifeline

Harsh Yadav, an English Honors student at Delhi University says "Winning is something I always thrive for, being a sportsperson that is justifiable. During these unprecedented times, where you are just sitting at home and can't do anything that gives you "the winning feeling", that's when I thought of giving online games a shot. I must say that it was worth every while. Online games have become an escape from my ordinary, monotonous life. Playing games gives me a sense of accomplishment. The feeling I get when I complete a good game is a feeling that's hard to compete with. Playing games has somehow helped me get exposed to greater creativity and imagination."

Reel to real

Nilansha Dogra, an upcoming influencer talks about how social media has been an outlet for her during these difficult times."It helped me a lot as fashion was always something I enjoyed spending time at and then it just became so easy to be able to make these reels and write down my feelings. When I used to apply makeup, think over how I want to style my outfits or just simply what I want to write, it would challenge my capabilities and my mind would find an escape from the real world for that much time. That was also the time when I was going through a lot due to personal problems, but when I finally started this blog, which I wanted to start for a while, it helped me realize my potential. The love I got from people ( which was very shocking, considering the judgemental world we live in ) was just so beautiful and at times overwhelming."

Comfort baking

Aleesha Bharadwaj, an English Honors graduate from Amity University talks about finding help in a bag of flour. "For me, baking has always been a solace, but when things took a toll on the whole world, and when no one seemed sane enough, baking threw me the rope towards sanity and I will forever be grateful for it. When no one seemed to be with me, I knew my oven and my flour always were there, ready to be molded into whatever I fancied!"

Rethinking self-care

As for me, one year into the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me a lot of things, compassion, gratitude, and patience but most of all it has taught me the importance of taking care of my body. I haven't been the healthiest person for most of my life, not a morning person for sure. The concept of exercising, eating healthy have always been very foreign to me until recently. From late-night bingeing to early dinner I've come a long way without even realizing how this has tremendously helped me stay sane through these crazy times.