Chronophobia is a disorder in which a person is afraid of time passing or of losing track of it. Many of us have spent a large period cooped up in our houses due to lockdown limitations, and you may have direct experience with chronophobia as you yearned to escape the constraints of your flat.
According to Choosing Therapy, around 12.5 percent of individuals in the United States may develop a specific phobia at some time in their life, with the elderly and terminally sick being particularly vulnerable to chronophobia. A sensation of imminent demise is most likely at the root of the phobia.
Chronophobia is also more prevalent in prisons, where it commonly referred to as “prison neurosis.” For inmates, chronophobia is more likely to be associated with emotions of claustrophobia and a sense of untapped potential.
People who have gone through a painful and potentially deadly experience may develop chronophobia because of their increased awareness of their death and the passage of time. Even after hearing about terrible events that have occurred to others, some people develop chronophobia. Chronophobia may affect everyone, not only those who live in severe environments. Fear may also arise in those who believe that their ambitions are slipping away from them and that they may never realize their dreams due to the inexorable passage of time.
Chronophobia characterized by dissatisfaction with the passage of time, or a sense that it is moving quicker or slower than usual. This can lead to widespread worry and despair, as well as a feeling of powerlessness.
If this sounds all too familiar, the good news is that there are things you may do to minimize the intensity of your chronophobia. Many mental health disorders, including chronophobia, are treated using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Therapists can assist patients with chronophobia rearrange their thinking about time by forcing them to rethink their predetermined methods of processing circumstances or inclination to catastrophize. In some cases, medication may be necessary, and the optimum treatment approach will differ from one person to the next.
