The breeze tickles our faces as we oscillate on a hammock. The sand slips through our toes and waves crash against the shore. Too often we dream about that little island away from the world, our stereotypical escape, our paradise. But, there are other escapes, some more realistic, that you don’t even have to dream about.

Each of us should have an escape, a personal place or thing we do to relieve the stresses of the world. Adults have these, but what about teens? Do we have a place to linger a while to get our minds off things?

My escape has always been writing. I can sit on a rock and write in my journal and it becomes my own world, a bubble that wraps around me. Anything that comes to my head, I write in my blue journal and soon it turns into a work of art. From one idea I can create a masterpiece.

I can write what I’m thinking or feeling. I can write if something is bothering me, or if something has happened. But, in the end it doesn’t matter what I write, what matters is that for a short span of time, I am relaxed. The hands on my watch seem to stand still while I’m in my bubble. I forget about the world - it’s yoga for my mind.

It’s hard to find time to take a break, relax and enjoy yourself, but when you do, it can be doing something as simple as listening to a favorite song and singing its words. Or playing an instrument, experimenting with notes and chords and beats. Some get lost in reading a book for hours. Others play sports, releasing energy while enjoying themselves.

Teens normally don’t have time for escape, they are too bogged down with school, sports, family and friends. Ironically, the activities that keep teens from escaping are what causes the need for escape.

We don’t need to have the ocean at our feet, or a hammock to rock us to sleep to escape the world. We can face reality with our own escapes, no matter how simple they are.