mental health
Jul 21, 2023 | 2:51 PM
Being chronically late is not just rude and inconvenient, it is now considered a medical condition.
Many medical professionals have dubbed this condition “time blindness” and linked it to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other mental health problems.
And while there are strategies and treatments that can help, the minority of people who claim to have the condition insist on adaptation.
Well, young people Women on TikTok are being mocked For asking during a job interview, “Do you have accommodations for people who are time-conscious and can’t make it on time?”
One TikTok user responded, “I’m begging the world to pass this information on to me every time I’m interviewed.”
“I’m actually visually impaired, but I’m always on time,” said another.
“So what if you’re supposed to get paid on the 1st, but the company doesn’t have time and gets paid on the 30th? Is that okay????” asked a third person.
This young woman has been identified as Sarah Treffren. news.com.aublamed the ridicule on “political polarization” and added, “I think the culture of workers being fired simply because they struggle with punctuality needs to be dismantled.”
Refusing to yield to the accusation that she has rights, Trehren said teary-eyed. “If people think it’s okay to treat others this way, it’s a right.”
Although the comments she has received are almost uniformly negative, psychologists and other experts acknowledge that chronoblindness is a real condition and that everyday tasks can be an uphill battle for people with chronoblindness.
“Time blindness, the difficulty in perceiving time, how much time passes, how long it takes to do something, can be very disabling for people,” says ADHD psychotherapist Stephanie Serkis. told USA Today.
“This is the real thing that has been studied,” Serkis added.
Although this condition is associated with ADHD, time blindness can appear in people with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health conditions. “It’s not specific to ADHD, but it has a significant impact on ADHD,” Serkis says.
“Everyone can be time blind at times,” said Dr. Michael Manos, Pediatric Behavioral Health Specialist, Cleveland Clinic.
“We can all get into the ‘zone,'” Manos added. “However, some people with ADHD have more difficulty judging how long it will take to do something or are more likely to forget the time.”
And people with ADHD “get overfocused more easily when they’re doing what they love,” Manos said.
Psychologists and other mental health professionals, including TikTok users with time blindness, have proposed a number of strategies for dealing with problems caused by time blindness.
“I have the same problem, but I have to do my own thing, like ringing my alarm too often or ringing my watch,” said one TikTok user.
“Giving reminders to the physical world can bring your mind back to the present moment and keep you working,” Manos suggested.
“Take advantage of the technology we have,” Sarkis recommended. “Use timers as much as possible because apps are really useful. Use apps that help you schedule and prioritize. Once your brain gets used to it, change the timer sounds.”
Other experts noted that analog clocks may be better than digital clocks for showing the passage of time and how much time remains until an appointment.
Lack of sleep can exacerbate time blindness. “If you’re sleep deprived and you’re making big changes in your life, it’s really important to talk to someone about it,” Serkis says.
And if these strategies aren’t enough, consider seeking professional help. That’s because some treatments and medications are helpful for people suffering from ADHD, Serkis added.
