Taming time
Modern society living is by all means a stressful experience. We’re being under constant pressure from our relatives, bosses, colleagues, even strangers. Yet the most unbearable pressure comes from neither of these sources, but from deep within. We’re voluntarily putting ourselves to a constant trial and we’re very scared of failing it and facing the consequences of falling short of edeadlines.
In this short article I’m explaining:
- why time is the greatest stressor
- why and how to make friends with it
- so you can handle time-induced stressful situations

The irrational reality of Time
It’s pretty ironic, that an abstract concept that may not even exist called time does harm to both our psyche and physical body. Time related stress can produce anything from anxiety and depression to psychosomatic pain and it easily serves as a door-opener for addictive behaviours.
Time is stressful, because it’s the only thing that never stops. Thinking of Nature, even rivers run dry, but time is different. It’s like god we keep worshipping by compulsively peeking at our clocks and hand watches. No matter if it’s a hourglass or a desk timer — precision to the minute seems enough to leave anyone stressed by the imminence of an often imaginary deadline. Consequently time is the most hated enemy that seems to always run counter to our goals and intentions.
Stressful situations may include:
- short deadline for delivering something
- time running out in the meeting or being late for it
- some event hovering in the calendar that causes anxiety
Think of it, we keep telling ourselves “there’s not enough time” or “there’s little time” which suggests this valuable, yet abstract resource is out of our control. But it isn’t. Although we can’t stop it, we have full control over how we relate to time and in the end how we endure the trial by fire.
Surrender to Time
The idea of surrendering or letting go internally is nothing new in the Eastern traditions as it is kind of imprinted within the cultural landscape for thousands of years. However in the Western world the idea of controlling things is still the key modus operandi for majority of us. The, often elusive impression of being in control gives us peace of mind on one hand, but on the other leaves eternally unsatisfied and always craving for more control.
So sometimes it’s really helpful to let go. And being our greatest enemy, time is a great candidate for practicing surrender.
First — accept the fact, that time-induced stress will make your thinking and your decisions hot-headed i.e. emotional instead of rational. You don’t want that.
Second — accept possibility of things going the other way (Yes — I’m avoiding the word FAILURE on purpose simply because it’s purely subjective what you call SUCCESS or FAILURE).
Whatever that is you’re trying to accomplish, it can go out of control because of circumstances that have nothing to do with time or with yourself. Re-wiring your brain this way is not to cut your motivation short, but rather to immediately take away your bodily stress response. Unless we’re talking about a life and death situation, you should be fine not meeting the deadline after all.
Use intuition to decide what’s best
Let’s turn to my favourite leisure activity — diving. Stress is diver’s greatest enemy. Because psychological stress causes your heart to pump blood faster, you’d be using a lot more air underwater. That can end up badly especially at depths where you just can’t surface without a safety stop. So professional divers learn to follow a simple set of rules when in distress — Stop, Think, Act.
Considered you already surrendered, think what’s possible right now and within your reach. You’ll only do as much as you can which can still come as a pleasant surprise. Don’t overcommit and raise a bar for yourself too high as this will increase future tension every time you’ll be under time stress.
Decide what to do by using your intuition.
Intuition is your inner voice and that place of knowledge without reason that we all have access to. It is the bridge between the conscious and the unconscious, tying together what you know and what you feel to be true. Intuition, when cultivated, holds a strong power that can help you maximize your life.
— Nikola Tesla
Now it’s time for practice. Meanwhile there’s more to read at the Timeqube website!
Further reading:
https://futurism.com/physicists-time-might-only-exist-in-your-head/
https://www.toolshero.com/stress-management/4-types-of-stress-by-karl-albrecht/
https://www.workitdaily.com/time-management-work-related-stress/

