The Pull of Mental Escapism

While this editorial will be printed in the March issue, I am writing this masterpiece on Valentine’s Day.  And I have a big announcement:  I’ve been thinking about getting into romantasy novels.  

At a recent board meeting for the Idaho Medical Association, we were asked to go around the room and introduce ourselves and then tell everyone a book that you recently read that you loved. I panicked. These other doctors have time to read? For fun? In their spare time? I immediately thought of the pile of unread books on my desk at home—Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze, Pleased to Meet Me by Bill Sullivan, and The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver. As I type those titles today, it is painfully obvious that what you read (or intend to read) says a lot about you. And as we went around the room, it became quite clear to me: a lot of female doctors enjoy the genre of romantasy novels.  

I felt like the one kid in the 7th grade who completely missed the “6-7” movement. Romantasy? Never heard of it. Inspired by my colleagues, I did a deep dive on the genre. As I went down the rabbit hole, I discovered that the key to understanding this realm was in my backyard.  Downtown Boise is home to a brand-new bookstore specializing in romantasy. What is the store’s name, you might ask? Hearts on Fire. Serious kudos to whoever named this gem of a store.

For those of you who are learning about romantasy for the first time in this editorial, you and I have seriously been missing out. This is a movement; there are books, bookstores, movies, and even podcasts devoted to this. And I started to wonder—what is the thing about this genre that draws people in?

While I am just learning about romantasy novels, I think I have been a fan of the general themes for quite some time. If you’ve heard me speak at a conference, you know that I am a huge fan of the Bachelor franchise. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Golden Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise: I celebrate the entire catalog. It occurred to me that these shows are basically romantasy in the form of reality TV. When I am watching The Bachelor, my brain is turned off. It is in airplane mode. I am in a Zen-like state, almost meditative. It holds my attention, but I don’t need to think at all. And it recharges me. And it relaxes me. And it allows me to escape “real life” for a little bit.

And that’s the key, isn’t it? Figuring out a way to help us relax and escape a bit during whatever down time we can create for ourselves. Maybe it’s music. Maybe it’s art. Maybe it’s fly fishing. Maybe it’s pickleball. These things allow us to turn off our dermatology brains and escape into a world where we don’t need to talk about seborrheic keratoses or think about prior authorizations. Some of the articles that I read about the romantasy craze point out that consuming the content can even improve quality of life measures because it relieves stress, can be emotionally healing, and is a powerful tool for “mental escapism.”  

Mental escapism sounded nice to me, so I have added a couple romantasy novels to the stack of books on my desk. Maybe I’ll even start a book club to keep me honest and force me to make some time to read them. Reach out if you want to be a part of it! And for those of you who don’t feel the call of the romantasy genre, I encourage all of you to find that thing that allows you to give your brain a vacation. 

Whatever you do…do it with Hearts on Fire!