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Chronopathy: The obsession with time is also a mental disorder
Have you noticed that some people live trying to squeeze the most out of the day until the last minute of it?
Apparently, they lead a normal life, but they could suffer from a so-called chronopathy, which is a dangerous and harmful obsession that has consequences.
There's nothing wrong with being proactive, punctual and orderly, but if you can't enjoy a bit of leisure, there's clearly a problem. Those who suffer from this problem tend to overload their day with activities, to give value to time.
Possibly, someone who has these characteristics has already crossed your mind, you may even identify yourself.
But don't worry, because here you will learn everything related to this disorder, and what can be done to face it or help those who suffer from it.
What is Chronopathy about?
It can be classified as an obsessive impulse on the use of time, where those who suffer from it seek to use as much as possible effectively, regardless of whether this leads to extreme exhaustion.
People with this problem focus on time not being wasted, but optimized to the maximum. They have very strict agendas, they do not rest, putting the speed and completion of tasks above any other activity.
Enjoyment, recreation, leisure and disconnection are concepts that for them are contrary and irrelevant. They do not conceive of a lifestyle where someone does not inject productivity into them every minute.
How to identify chronopathy in people?
Individuals with this complex are easily identified, since their behavior is very unusual.
It is normal to see people who are strict with the schedule or who have hectic lives, but here the obsessive attitude comes out and you can identify them by the following.
accelerated attitude
They behave as if they are in some kind of competition, they walk fast to wherever they are going, even if they are inside the office.
In this sense, they always give the impression that they were late somewhere or that someone was waiting for them.
Within their daily lives they look at their watch regularly and do not stop to talk for a long time. They normally avoid conversations, just say hi and continue on their way.
Your daily schedule is very extensive
The obsession is accompanied by a desire to meet the highest standards of productivity, this leads them to congest their day so that every minute has value. Within their agendas there are only tasks and obligations, they do not leave room for rest.
Their routine of daily activities exceeds the normal hours of an ordinary person, and they not only try to execute each task for the day, they also strive to anticipate future activities.
They feel guilty about having free time
If for some reason their schedule is altered by some external agent and this leaves them with free time, they tend to experience a feeling of guilt or anxiety. They seek at all costs to fill those spaces, with some activity, for fear of being reproached.
Their attitude is very influenced by the opinions of others, so they always want to be busy so that no one classifies them as lazy or irresponsible.
They are not given to attending family events
If it is about meetings such as walks, celebrations or festivities, it is very usual that they do not attend, since they do not see the use in these moments of enjoyment. They tend to isolate themselves from many special encounters, in their eagerness to prioritize the good use of time.
They don't rest or stop
It is very common for someone with this problem to eat while doing some activity, go to the bathroom very few times and sleep very few hours. Resting or stopping between activities to take a breather is not something they consider necessary.
How does chronopathy affect health?
At first glance it seems that this problem is not so serious, but when we analyze its future repercussions, and how it collapses someone's social environment, we can see that it is quite harmful and affects the following way.
Generates acute stress
Its first negative impact is the impressive load of stress it produces, due to the worrying concern to make the most of every minute and complete each task. Stress at these levels can cause emotional and physical breakdown.
There is a long list of diseases that could trigger and appear, product of the stress produced by a mental illness like this.
Exhaustion
When so much is demanded of the body and it is not given spaces for respite, rest and reactivation, the point is reached where we become physically and mentally exhausted to the extreme.
It could even reach the point of requiring medical intervention, if the body has been deprived of the correct hours of sleep for a long time.
Judgment is clouded
Someone who is so immersed in this obsession can reach the point where his way of thinking is affected, prompting him to commit actions without logical reasoning.
Basically, we are talking about reaching a point where neither ideas nor actions are well coordinated.
Isolation and rejection
It is very likely that by living wanting to have such excessive control over time and activities, this will lead the person to a solitary life, since they will not be very sociable. Not attending family events will also earn you rejection from them.
When someone exhibits obsessive behavior of this type, most people tend to stay away from them, because they do not identify the problem and classify them as perfectionists or sick.
anger and depression
Chronopathy can trigger episodes where the sufferer has outbursts of anger when affected by some external factor that is out of their hands.
On the other hand, it can also produce cycles of depression by not getting the pace of life you want.
How to treat chronopathy?
There are levels for this conflict, some present it mildly and others are in a very acute phase. In any of the cases, the first thing to do is to visit a psychologist when recognizing that there is a problem, in order to address it professionally.
Similarly, here are 4 practical keys, applicable to all cases:
Free up the agenda and place free time slots.
Do activities that give you real satisfaction.
Don't plan everything, leave some room for improvisation.
Pay more attention to the route and less to the goal, enjoy the process of each project, without excessive rush to finish it.
Time is your ally, not your judge or your executioner, it must be useful and productive, but above all it must serve to generate happiness, or else you are a slave to the minutes.
