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The Struggles Of Living With Time Blindness ADHD

The Struggles Of Living With Time Blindness ADHD

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Are you one of those who find it difficult to recognize when the time has passed or you find yourself usually losing track of time? then you might be suffering from time blindness. Now, individuals with time blindness also struggle with meeting the deadlines, they also find it hard to reach the appointments on time, and they also are seen to transition to a different task.

However, anyone can experience time blindness, but it is usually common with people suffering from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, ADHD is also seen to overlap the signs of social anxiety disorder in some sufferers. It is important to understand that time blindness is not considered an official mental health diagnosis, however, mental health experts claim that it should be added in the ADHD diagnostic criteria. We know time blindness can be a cause of concern for the sufferers, however, they can be managed with the help of certain useful tips. This blog is a perfect guide of such useful tips for time blindness ADHD and knowing “What is time blindness?”, “What is the link between ADHD and time blindness?”, “Is time blindness a symptom of ADHD?”, and “Is time blindness real?”

Understanding ADHD Time Blindness

In terms of adults, time blindness happens when a person is unable to sense the amount of time spent. Not just this, it also includes the difficulty to estimate the time required to get something done. As mentioned above it does not come under any official diagnosis but it severely impacts the daily functioning of a person. Some of the common identifiers of time blindness and ADHD are (Pedersen, 2023):

  • Being hyper-focused on a project
  • Frequently losing track of time
  • Going for impulsive decision when the sufferer feels like they are losing track of time
  • Finding it hard to develop and stick to a routine
  • Procrastinating to perform tasks
  • Issues in organizing tasks in the correct format
  • Being unproductive for a longer duration
  • Facing issues in estimating the required time to complete tasks
  • Experiencing complexities in calculating the time invested in completing the previous task
  • Difficulty in estimating the time of how long an event occurred

Read More: Everything about Emotional Dysregulation in ADHD

Underlying Causes Of Time Blindness ADHD

Now, there are always some underlying reasons causing the manifestation of rigid signs of time blindness ADHD in an individual. Even though mental health experts are not sure what can be the exact reason, there are certain theories that say that it is linked with the brain and the way it processes even the slightest changes in the time and other sensory details. Moreover, there are certain theories that say that time blindness is often associated with various neurological conditions such as bipolar disorder, autism, and traumatic brain injuries (McMichael, 2024).

Now, it is a common fact that when someone experiences time blindness, mental health experts formulate it is because of abnormal brain chemistry. A basic example is when the ability of perceiving and calculating time is impaired it is due to lower level of activity in different areas of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, certain medical conditions such as abnormal dopamine levels can also lead to time blindness.

Read More: ADHD Limerence: Comprehending The Link And Ways To Manage It

What Can You Do To Manage Time Blindness ADHD?

It is essential to understand that time blindness potentially negatively impacts some major areas of your life making you prone to experience some difficulties in daily functioning. Some major complexities linked with time blindness ADHD include facing difficulty in paying your bills before the deadline, picking your children from the school, forgetting to submit your school assignments, and also facing issues in completing work projects before the deadlines. In addition, these distressing issues lead to mood disorder if found persistent. But, you don’t need to be hopeless as here are some useful tips to help you manage your time blindness effectively (Green, 2023):

  • Set alarms and reminders:

Invest your money in purchasing an electronic calendar that can be easily connected with different electronic devices. If you have a meeting or important activity to perform, then ensure to set an alarm. Always ensure to have a margin of an extra 30 minutes to compensate for any delays or issues.

  • Listen to some music:

Turning on music while performing a task can ease your distress. Moreover, research has shown that listening to music can aid in improving focus, and the best part is that for the people suffering from ADHD it can also help in perception of time (Carrer, 2015).

Read More: Bipolar Disorder Vs ADHD: Learn The Symptoms

  • Adapting pomodoro method:

This particular ADHD time blindness management method splits work into 25-minutes chunks with at least a five-minute break after the end of 25 minutes. Furthermore, once you have utilized four work chunks, it’s your choice if you desire to take a longer break of at least 15 to 30 minutes. Now, you may wonder how this approach is helpful? Well, it allows a person suffering from ADHD to focus on the task, but on the other hand also helps in preventing the hyper-focusing that is basically responsible for losing track of time.

  • Train your brain to recognize time:

As mentioned above, make a habit of setting timers or alarms that usually turn off at fixed intervals for instance every 30 mins. In this way, you can learn to monitor the time in a better way. Moreover, you can also set up a visual timer on your laptops or mobiles phones that keeps a check about how much time has been spent since the start of the task (McMichael, 2024).

  • Seeking professional help:

Now, it is a common practice among the sufferers of any mental health illness including the time blindness ADHD, they avoid asking for help from their families and mental health experts as well. This is not a good practice. The key to overcoming the signs of time blindness ADHD is to always ask for help from others without any hesitation. Furthermore, ADHD is usually seen co-occurring with OCD in some individuals.

Read More: Which Brain Region Is Believed to Play a Critical Role in OCD?

Survival With Time Blindness

For the people suffering from time blindness, identifying time or estimating how long things can take to work is not always innate. For this very reason, procrastination, missing deadlines, and running late for work or school is a common practice for such people. Moreover, several researchers have formulated that the body’s internal clock that helps in keeping a track of time entirely relies on a person’s working memory (Thönes et al., 2020). But, in case of time blindness ADHD, the internal body clock does not function properly leading to difficulties in managing the time required to complete a task. Moreover, sometimes this behavior can lead to people talking negatively about themselves and builds up frustration for not completing certain tasks in the given time. Excessive negative talk can be a major reason for the manifestation of other mental health issues as well such as depression, anxiety, and sadness. Moreover, the possibility of suicidal ideation is also higher in people suffering from time blindness ADHD and is often managed with medication management.

Therefore, to prevent such times, one should always choose consulting the issue with a mental health professional. And in case, you are experiencing suicidal thoughts then do not hesitate to share it with your friends and family instead of dealing with it alone. The reality is that the answer to your most distressing concern of “Is ADHD time blindness real?” lies in the professional consultation from a mental health expert.

Read More: ADHD vs Depression: Finding The Link Between Them

Bottom Line!

Time blindness ADHD is the loss of potential to recognize passing of time. A person suffering from time blindness may find it distressing to make it at assigned appointments on time, they usually procrastinate while completing their important projects, and often lose track of time while performing tasks. Struggling from time blindness ADHD is definitely an overwhelming feeling for the sufferer but it can be managed with some useful tips and the ADHD time blindness test but the key is to stick to the routine. If you want some professional help in managing the signs of time blindness ADHD and desire to learn more about time blindness ADHD strategies, then do not think twice and connect with Orange Coast Psychiatry today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the risk of suicide is much more higher in people with time blindness ADHD as they exhibit the signs of negative self talk that ultimately leads to lowered self esteem. 

Yes, listening to music helps in concentrating more on the work you are doing and also reduces the hyperfocusing. 

Well, there is no best time to consult with a mental health expert. Once you feel like your signs of time blindness ADHD are starting to hinder your daily life functioning, that’s your cue to meet a mental health expert as soon as possible.

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Richard Samedra.

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