This Summer: Face the Fear
As summer nears, some students daydream about upcoming experiences and reminisce about past summers. Summer may be thought of as a retreat from all the school year’s crazy busy work and stress. But what about escaping from yourself?The term ‘escapism’ implies that an individual tries to direct attention away from certain stimuli that are considered unpleasant by focusing on something else that is considered more desirable," said Victor Shamas, a psychology adjunct lecturer.
RedBlue asked students about times they felt they needed to escape from personal fears.
While swimming may be a classic summer form of relaxation and enjoyment, for psychology freshman Katie Hembrough the pool has always represented a childhood fear. Two words: pool cleaner.
Let me tell you, when you’re scared of the dark, you’ll feel like the fastest runner in the world. That’s how I would feel in the pool with the Kreepy Krawler," Hembrough said. "I thought it would suck in all my hair and eat my toes. After my brothers pushed me close to it, I’d swim away so fast!”
Some students escape the heat of summer at amusement parks, like Disneyland or Six Flags. But carnival rides can trigger fears -- like when classics junior Elisabeth Kane, shown left, went to Spring Fling recently.
I have always been terrified of rides, anything more than 5 feet off the ground," Kane said.
But this year, Kane realized she had nothing to lose.
I went to the carnival where my friends wanted to go on rides I was terrified of," she said. "I then had the urge to try all the other ones. I definitely opened up to the rest after trying my first."
Some students aren’t afraid of rides but rather the mascot costumes, so characters like Mickey Mouse would freak them out.
People in mascots. I can’t go within 10 feet of them, I get so afraid," said Jen McAlonan, a senior majoring in English.
Shamas said such fears aren’t something to sniff at.
From a psychological standpoint, the concern is that these kinds of responses are associated with health risks and can be disruptive to various aspects of the individual's personal and professional life," he said
So when you’re out this summer, face the fear -- escape yourself, escape into summer!