Our relationship with time can be rough sometimes, like not having enough time to do things that we need or not having time to relax but we have to learn how to cope with the changes and issues. Some people often rush to get things done in a short amount of time which can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnouts. Coping with the changes and issues of our relationship with time is important because we have to be aware of how we spend our time, learn how to relax and enjoy the present moment, but also set boundaries and make adjustments.
One way of coping with the changes and issues with our relationship with time is being aware of how we spend our time. First, notice judgements that don’t align with your values or ones that aren’t true. Getting comfortable with our discomfortability allows us to witness ourselves that are no longer reacting, but are open to many opportunities. But what some people don’t know is that we have more control than we think and the issue isn’t the amount of time we have, but more our relationship with that time(Stein).
People often see this as an eye-opening experience. Especially when we start to stress about something important like a test or a work meeting, we should start to realize that we have that control over what we do with our time and how long we spend on any one thing.
Second, don’t get too comfortable wasting time because most people have experienced the feeling that time flies by faster and faster every year. Most people have an adversarial relationship with time, like feeling there’s enough time or that we can’t catch up, but we are capable of shifting the way we think and feel about time and the way we manage it (Stein).
Orderly timelines are being replaced by chaotic and immediate demands, leaving little room for rest or recovery. We choose to spend our time based on what’s important, but many of us do this unconsciously rather than making conscious decisions. As familiarity increases with daily routines, people mostly go on autopilot, which makes it seem that time is going faster.
Another way to cope with the changes and issues with our relationship with time is learning how to relax and enjoy the present moment. First, learn to enjoy the present moment with gratitude, meaning take time to appreciate the little things in life, such as a sunset or a good conversation with friends. Every hour we are alive is a gift, and it helps to have our attention on using it intentionally and joyfully (Stein).
Sometimes just enjoying the moment will relax your mind and your body. “We can’t direct our optimal energy into a present moment that we’re not present in”(Whitelaw). Even I take moments out of my day to just enjoy the moment no matter what it is, like daydreaming or just simply reading a book in a quiet space. These periods are important because they let us have quiet and calm moments to reset our mentality and sometimes start over. We feel the scarcity of time-either in the present or upon looking back-and feel the lack of control over it (Stein).
We should also realize that we often judge things such as relaxing, having fun, or resting as a waste of time, but many of these activities are for us to enjoy our life and recharge for everything else. Some people often rush to get things done in a short amount of time which can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnouts (Stein).
This can be harmful to your body physically and mentally because your brain is basically telling you to do all these things in a short amount of time but your body, soon or later, will tell you not to by either getting really tired to the point that you might pass out due to exhaustion.
Sometimes people get lost in different activities that make it seem like they wasted time on things that aren’t important at the moment (Stein). But those activities are a good thing because they’re allowing you to focus on yourself and your mental health, whether it is taking a nap or doing some self care things like a spa day or taking a relaxing bath with your favorite essentials oils and soap.
The last way to learn how to cope with the changes and issues with your relationship with time is to start setting boundaries and make adjustments. First, start saying no to or canceling things that are less important and start making time for things that are. Other times people have devoted themselves to different activities like their jobs and later regret no spending more time with family and friends (Stein).
Some people don’t even care if they don’t spend time with their families and friends, or even themselves, but sooner or later, they’ll start to regret not spending that time when it’s too late for it.
Second, we choose to spend our time based on what is important to us but many of us do this unconsciously, rather than making conscious choices. Some people get so caught up in work or another activity that they don’t even know that they’re doing it. It becomes routine for them. For example, sometimes I even get caught up in school work that I don’t even look at the time or even stop to take a break.
It’s always those moments that we need to realize that we need a break from doing anything really, continuously for a certain amount of time and just rest our mind and body.
These are some ways to cope with the changes and issues of our relationship with time. We shouldn’t have to do all of this but that’s how the world is now, doing different things like finding ways to relax our mind and physical body, setting different boundaries with ourselves, making judgements about how to spend our time,and not letting things get too comfortable with the changes and issues with time.
We all think time is moving faster than it should be, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Also, it isn’t because we would think that we don’t have enough time to do what we want in life. That is why we should do these things, to cope with the changes and issues with our relationship with time.
Works Cited
“A Healthy Relationship with Time Means a Fulfilling Life," Psychology Today, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-the-wild-things-are/202407/a-healthy-relationship-with-time-means-a-fulfilling-life.
Whitelaw, Ginny. “Try on a New Relationship with Time.” Forbes, 1 Mar. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/ginnywhitelaw/2023/03/01/try-on-a-new-relationship-to-time/.
What inspired me to choose this topic was that at first I had a different topic, which was how ancient Egyptian astronomy impacted how astronomy is today, but there wasn’t enough information. So, I did some research on random topics and I found my recent topic really interesting which is how to cope with the changes and issues with our relationship with time. My personal experience with time connected with my research because I realized that this is something that everyone goes through everyday. Some of the steps I took in the research process was mostly looking at websites about changes with our relationship with time. The part I enjoyed while researching was reading about the changes on how time affected our lives in different ways. The part that has been most challenging was finding articles with enough information to put into my essay. What I learned from this was learning how many steps it takes to write a research essay and finding a topic that is worth writing about.