
I Tried Everything to Escape My Heartbreak. Only This Worked.
From Modern Love by The New York Times
May 20, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 446
About this episode
Lauren Bans shares her experience of using escape rooms as a unique way to cope with heartbreak and regain her decision-making abilities.
Lauren Bans was seven months pregnant when she realized she needed a divorce. Suddenly, she found herself heartbroken, terrified, and completely unable to make decisions or think about the future. One day, her sister suggested they visit an escape room. As the door locked and the countdown began, Bans found herself enraptured by the puzzles, forgetting her reality for a moment and feeling like herself again. She was hooked and went back to escape rooms over and over. This week on the “Modern Love” podcast, Bans tells Anna Martin about her unique cure for heartbreak, and how making decisions in a fictional puzzle room helped her feel capable of making them in real life again, too.
People in this episode
Host: Anna Martin
Guest: Lauren Bans
Topics covered
- heartbreak
- divorce
- escape rooms
- decision making
- personal growth
Keywords
- heartbreak
- divorce
- escape room
- decision making
- personal growth
- puzzles
- emotional healing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The New York Times
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