How Anxiety Makes Time Management Nearly Impossible

Sometimes, it seems as if time is going by too fast.

Deadlines and assignments are like these silent monsters breathing down our necks and we can only procrastinate for so long before we have to deal with them head-on. There seems to not be enough time in the day for all the things we need to get done and instead of managing our time, time seems to be managing and clouding our thoughts and everything we do.

Am I right, or does this only happen to me?

Sometimes, it seems as if time is going by way too slow; like when we’re waiting to go into an interview that starts at 10 a.m. and the clock just doesn’t seem to be moving — or working. Your heart is pounding harder as each minute goes by and you try to swallow the agony and impending doom you’re experiencing as you stare blankly at the wall in front of you and ignore the urge you feel to run away.

I’m sure everyone has had these experiences in some sort of way — but with anxiety, oh boy. It feels 100 times worse to the point that managing time and juggling day-to-day activities feels nearly impossible.

Think of it this way. Let’s say the amount of assignments and things you need to do represents a hill you have to climb within a specific amount of time. Those who are able to handle their personal day-to-day tasks with minimal anxiety might have to climb over a hill that’s 10 feet high. Now for those who have an anxiety disorder, the hill they must climb isn’t 10 feet — it’s 50 feet. They both have the same amount of time to climb over the hill. Who do you think is going to climb over faster?

It’s the same thing with time.

Everyone (from what I know) has the same amount of hours each day to complete their day-to-day tasks. Some have more or fewer things to do but either way, we have 24 hours in a day. With anxiety, it can take twice as long to get anything done due to frequent racing thoughts or our heart beating dramatically faster than it needs to. Hot flashes and shakiness are symptoms many of us with anxiety know all too well. Having an anxiety disorder can be one of many different factors that can make us feel as if we have fewer functional hours than our peers around us. Other factors include depression, physical illness, developmental challenges and many more.

Now, what’s my point here? With anxiety or other disorders, sometimes we may need to reach out to someone to help us manage our time better. If a loved one you know is struggling with managing their time and juggling their daily activities, asking how you can help and letting them know you’re there for them goes a very long way. For some, with the help of therapy or medication, they are able to manage time and manage their hill of tasks faster, stronger and all-in-all better. With all this said, the hill is still 50 feet.