Chronopathy: characteristics of the obsession to take advantage of time

We live in a society in which we can affirm that we are ruled by the tyranny of the clock. From the time we wake up until we go to sleep we think about how to take advantage of the time, occupying all the possible gaps to feel that long-awaited subjective feeling that we are productive, that we do not lose weather.

The problem is that, although the ideal is to make the most of time, by obsessing we will not only feel that we lose it, but in the end the minutes will end up slipping through our fingers like grains do on the walls of a clock. sand.

The obsession with time and getting the most out of it has a name: chronopathy. It is not a mental disorder, but it is a current problem that brings with it various mental health problems. Let's find out what it is about below.

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Chronopathy: the obsession with time

Chronopathy (Cronos, “god of time; time ”and pathos“ suffering ”) is the name given to the obsession of certain people to make the most of their time.

We say "certain", although depending on how you look at it, the truth is that everyone has this problem in greater As a measure, then, in our western society the maxim, almost tyrannical, that one must surrender to the maximum. We are taught from a very young age that we must do everything possible so that the 24 hours that make up our day are used to the best of our ability.

Although there are people who make better use of their time than others, not a few end up developing an unhealthy concern thinking that time is slipping through their fingers. This concern causes them stress, anxiety and emotional tension, in addition to feelings of worthlessness and of being perceived as less responsible than others.

Although chronopathy is the source of discomfort, it is not considered a mental disorder. If we look for it in a diagnostic manual for mental disorders, such as the DSM or the ICD, we will not find it.

Nevertheless, that it is something that does not appear in these manuals does not mean that we should not be concerned or deserve to receive treatment. Some people's chronopathy can have the ironic consequence of actually wasting time obsessing over using it.

Within this problem is not only the need to satisfy the social demand to be constantly productive, but also includes the problem, the enormous difficulty in stopping and to rest. People who suffer from chronopathy are not able to stop despite their exhaustion and, in addition, it is difficult for them to enjoy the moment, family and the small pleasures of life.

The concept of chronopathy has been popularized in recent years thanks to the book by psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé, “How to make good things happen to you” (2018). The tendency to try to make the most of the day to day can end up being detrimental, causing the individual sacrifices her mental health in his quest to try to get more hours out of her day than has. Rojas Estapé talks about the false idea, widespread in our western society, that "haste and acceleration produce greater and better results".

In our society we consider that the right thing, what is good, is to be busy. If by chance we recognize that our agenda is a little free, it has some gap, it gives us the feeling that we They are going to judge that they are going to consider us a person who does not take advantage of time or who is a bit hedonistic and disorganized You may even be surprised and negatively judge the person who tells you that they have free time and don't know what to do with it.

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Consequences of the obsession with time

Although it is normal to want to take a little more time, becoming an obsession to perform at our best can have serious consequences for our well-being and mental health. This can be evidenced in multiple ways in our day to day, which ironically can make us waste time, feel burdened by not achieve our best and lose the opportunity to spend meaningful and enjoyable time with important areas of life, such as family and children. friends.

By constantly thinking about how to use time and believing that if we stop we lose a lot of time, the state of constant acceleration and hyperactivity prevents us from thinking clearly. Because we do not stop or think calmly, we cannot think coldly and, therefore, we cannot conscientiously reflect on what we do or pay attention to how we do it. To think clearly we need to take our time, and rushing is the opposite..

Ironically, the obsession with taking advantage of time causes the perception of time to be accelerated. As we have the feeling that time is slipping through our fingers, it ends up happening in the end. In other words, the more we are obsessed with making the most of time, the greater the feeling that we are wasting it, that it passes faster than it should, and that the days are shorter. It gives us the feeling that it does not spread to us.

The concern to be productive can reach such a level that we disconnect from our own emotions, something that can be considered as one of the main pathological aspects of chronopathy, despite the fact that, as we have commented before, it is not a disorder mental. Chronopathy takes us away from our own emotions, and makes us pay more attention to how to use time instead of paying attention to what is happening to our psyche and our body.

We do not have the time or the pause necessary to listen to what our body is telling us, our own emotions, and to identify relevant emotional events. However, sooner or later we will notice them, not because we have stopped but because these emotional states will have become so intense that we can hardly continue to ignore them. Excess tension, anxiety, and stress are common emotions in people trapped in the chronopathy and, although they go unnoticed in the conscious, our body and mental health will end up suffering by them.

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How to get rid of chronopathy?

Although we once again insist that chronopathy is not a mental disorder, of course its affectation is psychological and must be overcome in order to enjoy a full life and emotional well-being. In case of suffering a great obsession to take advantage of time and suffer for it, it is necessary go to a psychologist to see what can be done about it. Psychotherapy can help people with chronopathy to stop and enjoy the moment, get out schedule and understand that not making the most of the day is not synonymous with incompetence.

To combat the obsession with productivity and the use of time, here are a few tips.

1. Do not saturate the agenda

It is essential that, in order not to fall into the obsession to take advantage of the time, the agenda is not saturated. As far as possible, tasks should be removed from the schedule so that those that remain can be completed calmly. In this way, one will become more aware of what he is doing and will not feel so overwhelmed by the feeling of lack of time.

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2. Find enjoyable obligations

It is essential to look for an obligation that we like, a task from which we cannot free ourselves but which has something that can be enjoyed, as if it were a hobby.

This can be complicated at times, but if it is achieved, the level of enjoyment of life and the feeling of making the most of time will grow noticeably.

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3. Leave spaces unplanned

It may seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that leaving gaps unplanned will help combat that feeling of wasting time.

It is highly recommended to leave a blank space in our schedule or agenda, a portion of unplanned time dedicated exclusively to our rest, an anarchic rest, casual and in which the best we can do is absolutely nothing. Stopping for an hour we will find a way to take advantage of the rest of the day in a healthy and productive way.

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4. Enjoy the process

Trying to enjoy the process more than the result is a good measure to turn that desire to take advantage of the time into the subjective feeling that that desire has already been achieved. If we think about how much we want to finish what we are doing to start immediately with the next task, when we finish It will give us the feeling that we have done it in a hurry and in a bad way and, therefore, we have not known how to make the most of the time.

It is better to do one thing well than two things badly and that is the feeling it gives us. Enjoy the process, be aware of it and learn from any mistakes that may occur during the process. It is through this learning that it will give us the feeling that we are taking advantage of the time, and on top of that we will enjoy it.