Have you heard of “Time Blindness”? | ADHD
Are you the person who sits around the house waiting for their doctors appointment even though you have a lot of time before you even need to leave the house? Are you the person who is habitually late to pick up your friend for dinner? Both of those people may have a version of time blindness. Time blindness can feel like not being able to do something because we are waiting to do something else. It can also feel like getting so engrossed in something you’re enjoying that you don’t notice the time passing. This is common with people diagnosed with ADHD
One theory on why this occurs is that ADHD involves more cognitive and sensory overload in the neurological system. As this system becomes overloaded, the perception of time becomes noticeably more difficult and this can manifest as as over-fixation on time or an under-evaluation.
So is there anything you can do about it?
Actually yes, there are a few ways you can improve “time blindness”.
Medication. Okay maybe you didn’t want that to be the number one answer but in the research studies that have been conducted so far, using stimulant medications for treatment of ADHD resulted in less time blindness on the part of the research participants.
Listen to music or engage in dancing. This one maybe sounds like a crazy solution but in the research there is an indication that listening to music helps people stay oriented to the here and now and helps build neural pathways in regards to time perception.
Recognizing “time blindness” as the flip side of a strength of extreme presence. One reason time blindness occurs in people with ADHD is that people with ADHD live extremely in the present. Living extremely in the present is a fantastic skill when being creative, playing a sport, or performing. Utilizing the strengths that you have while supporting yourself with aids like timers, etc. and a big dose of self forgiveness can go a long way towards feeling the condition is more manageable.
What fires together really does wire together - using skill building with creating schedules for routines, expectations of how much time something will take with “fair warnings” etc. - these are ways we can help children to learn to manage time more effectively - if this is something your child struggles with you may have to assist them with reminders. Try to make this a neutral conversation and try not to think of their inability to manage their time as willful, they are likely performing as well as they can.
Executive Function coaching - or ADHD Life Skills coaching - research studies conducted in 2019 concluded this type of coaching for individuals with ADHD was beneficial in helping them develop skills around time management which can improve time blindness.
And after doing all of the above you might have to accept about yourself that some days you’ll lose track of time - and that’s okay!
Resources: med science monitor : Clinical Implications on the Perception of Time in ADHD