It is while experiencing reasonably high levels of time anxiety that I sit down to write this story … about time anxiety. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a report claiming the next 10 years are critical in slowing down the progress of global warming, or else catastrophic weather events risk becoming too extreme for humanity to handle. “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all,” states the AR6 Synthesis Report. As the existential terror of these findings bubbles away in the back of my mind, my prefrontal cortex hums with thoughts of competing work priorities, text messages I haven't replied to and this irrational sense of guilt I'm harbouring for choosing to stay out late with friends on Saturday night, which consequently launched me into the work week feeling tired and frazzled. The irony of this situation – writing about time anxiety while feeling stressed about deadlines – isn't lost on me. I decide to lean in.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronophobia – more commonly known as time anxiety – is “an extreme fear of time or the passage of time”. “People with this anxiety disorder feel intense discomfort or dread when they think about time passing them by,” states the research centre, adding that in severe cases, time anxiety “can lead to panic attacks, social isolation and problems with relationships”. While I wouldn't classify my own fear as extreme, I've certainly experienced the discomfort and dread that comes with feeling like you never have quite
