Personal Perception Of Time: Ongoing Anomaly

[Ermintruder]

This is an odd and disconcerting effect for me, personally, right now

Often, in recent times, I've stereotypically bemoaned how fast the years are passing.

This month (for me by massive contrast, within my perceptions and references) has been almost an eternity. It is a very strange impression, and I can't explain it- only, attempt to describe what I mean.

The car crash I experienced at the start of the month *might* somehow have been the start of this, for me. I wasn't injured, but was maybe more shaken by it than I thought.

I can't convey more than just my subjective impression, but the overall effect is perhaps a doubling or nearly trebling of how long time, for me, seems to be passing. So a day is (in retrospect) at least a couple of days. And a week is certainly feeling like a fortnight, plus more.

Maybe it's an accumulative strain effect, over the years. Hopefully not some serious cognitive effect/defect.

Anyway- if time ever speeds-up back to normal 'fast' pace, again, for me, I shall almost be happy to moan about it.

Maybe I've accidentally wished this to happen. That the clock now goes tick-tick-tick...tock. It doesn't really. But it feels like it has, in immediate retrospect.

Am I headed for adopting some kind of animal-style perception of time? Presumably a dog's day feels, to it, like a week (with its seven years for each human conventional year).

On that basis I may (appropriately) be now be experiencing donkey years with three hours/days/years for every normal human one. If this dubious equivalency scheme is to be believed, I should be glad perhaps to not be subject to bovine chronologia, equivalenting-in at an alleged exchange rate of 14:1

 

[EnolaGaia]

... The car crash I experienced at the start of the month *might* somehow have been the start of this, for me. I wasn't injured, but was maybe more shaken by it than I thought. ...

It strikes me that this could be the root cause. If you have residual stress in the wake of the crash, it might be that a resultant heightening of persistent somatic tension and neural arousal is causing a perceived time dilation effect. I'm thinking of it by analogy to a camera being run at a higher frame rate - the same analogy I use to explain perceived time dilation in a sudden crisis situation (when the passage of time seems to shift into slow-motion).

 

[pandacracker]

Just because you weren't injured doesn't mean that you haven't been hurt in some way (if that makes sense)

Your body has had a bad shock, I humbly suggest you find a way to nurture it back to equilibrium (unless you're enjoying the time weirdness) I would go for massage/accupuncture but you know yourself best

 

[Coal]

It strikes me that this could be the root cause. If you have residual stress in the wake of the crash, it might be that a resultant heightening of persistent somatic tension and neural arousal is causing a perceived time dilation effect. I'm thinking of it by analogy to a camera being run at a higher frame rate - the same analogy I use to explain perceived time dilation in a sudden crisis situation (when the passage of time seems to shift into slow-motion).

^this^ and...
It might be worth seeing the quack, especially if you had any head trauma, however mild.

 

[Recycled1]

A few years ago I had a peculiar mental experience, that I knew wasn't 'right'.
I went to the GP fearing I was developing altzheimers (definitely a possiblity, as I was in my 60's and my dad had developed premature senile dementia.)
The GP gave me the routine mental capability tests, but I passed them OK.
It turned out I needed to be on medication for high blood pressure.
I suspect my mental hiccup was a very mini stroke.

'Tell your doctor' as the ads say!

 

[PeteS]

This is an odd and disconcerting effect for me, personally, right now

Often, in recent times, I've stereotypically bemoaned how fast the years are passing.

This month (for me by massive contrast, within my perceptions and references) has been almost an eternity. It is a very strange impression, and I can't explain it- only, attempt to describe what I mean.

The car crash I experienced at the start of the month *might* somehow have been the start of this, for me. I wasn't injured, but was maybe more shaken by it than I thought.

I can't convey more than just my subjective impression, but the overall effect is perhaps a doubling or nearly trebling of how long time, for me, seems to be passing. So a day is (in retrospect) at least a couple of days. And a week is certainly feeling like a fortnight, plus more.

Maybe it's an accumulative strain effect, over the years. Hopefully not some serious cognitive effect/defect.

Anyway- if time ever speeds-up back to normal 'fast' pace, again, for me, I shall almost be happy to moan about it.

Maybe I've accidentally wished this to happen. That the clock now goes tick-tick-tick...tock. It doesn't really. But it feels like it has, in immediate retrospect.

Am I headed for adopting some kind of animal-style perception of time? Presumably a dog's day feels, to it, like a week (with its seven years for each human conventional year).

On that basis I may (appropriately) be now be experiencing donkey years with three hours/days/years for every normal human one. If this dubious equivalency scheme is to be believed, I should be glad perhaps to not be subject to bovine chronologia, equivalenting-in at an alleged exchange rate of 14:1

I wouldn't get too concerned, the more you think about it the more time will slow down. A car crash can be a terrifying experience and the effects I think are somewhat underestimated by society. I can vividly remember road incidents which happened to me 40 years ago. Certainly my experience after very traumatic life events has been that time has virtually stood still - I think it's a common perception. Could also be a "final straw" type incident as well. As others have suggested it would be worth a visit to the doctor for a chat and check up just to be sure that everything is Ok. Hope you feel back to normal soon E.

 

[Frideswide]

 

[catseye]

I also suspect residual stress is altering your time perception.

Interesting that you think this month is dragging - for me it's flown by (but then I have a deadline at the end of the month, and there's nothing like that for making time fly), but it was January that dragged. I swear January took at least three months to pass.

Hope everything returns to normal for you soon, Ermintruder.

 

[Mouldy13]

From the film "The Jerk"

I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it
seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and
the second day seemed like five days and the third day seemed like a week
again and the fourth day seemed like eight days and the fifth day you went
to see your mother and that seemed just like a day and then you came back
and later on the sixth day, in the evening, when we saw each other, that
started seeming like two days, so in the evening it seemed like two days
spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days, so
at the end of the sixth day on into the seventh day, it seemed like a total
of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half. I have it
written down, but I can show it to you tomorrow if you want to see it.

Hope this gives you a smile

 

[Vida Loca]

Please go and see your Dr for a check up. Trauma is an injury and that might explain how you feel right now. Hope it helps. Take care.

 

[Skrymr]

It might be stress, but also being shaken with enough force might cause a brain injury too. it's worth getting checked

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

This is an odd and disconcerting effect for me, personally, right now

Often, in recent times, I've stereotypically bemoaned how fast the years are passing.

This month (for me by massive contrast, within my perceptions and references) has been almost an eternity. It is a very strange impression, and I can't explain it- only, attempt to describe what I mean.

The car crash I experienced at the start of the month *might* somehow have been the start of this, for me. I wasn't injured, but was maybe more shaken by it than I thought.

I can't convey more than just my subjective impression, but the overall effect is perhaps a doubling or nearly trebling of how long time, for me, seems to be passing. So a day is (in retrospect) at least a couple of days. And a week is certainly feeling like a fortnight, plus more.

Maybe it's an accumulative strain effect, over the years. Hopefully not some serious cognitive effect/defect.

Anyway- if time ever speeds-up back to normal 'fast' pace, again, for me, I shall almost be happy to moan about it.

Maybe I've accidentally wished this to happen. That the clock now goes tick-tick-tick...tock. It doesn't really. But it feels like it has, in immediate retrospect.

Am I headed for adopting some kind of animal-style perception of time? Presumably a dog's day feels, to it, like a week (with its seven years for each human conventional year).

On that basis I may (appropriately) be now be experiencing donkey years with three hours/days/years for every normal human one. If this dubious equivalency scheme is to be believed, I should be glad perhaps to not be subject to bovine chronologia, equivalenting-in at an alleged exchange rate of 14:1

May I ask if this feeling ever subsided, @Ermintruder?

 

[Ermintruder]

May I ask if this feeling ever subsided,

You may, and thanks for enquiring. My subjective opinion (of course) is that time for me is now not as stretched as it was in mid-2019...but I don't feel that I've sprung back to any true 2018-and-earlier normal experiencing-the-passage-of-time.

There are probably masses of ongoing personal stress reasons for this (at home and certainly at work). If only I hadn't given-up on the lion taming.....

 

[IbisNibs]

Compared to last year, lions are certainly pussycats!

 

[Naughty_Felid]

You may, and thanks for enquiring. My subjective opinion (of course) is that time for me is now not as stretched as it was in mid-2019...but I don't feel that I've sprung back to any true 2018-and-earlier normal experiencing-the-passage-of-time.

There are probably masses of ongoing personal stress reasons for this (at home and certainly at work). If only I hadn't given-up on the lion taming.....

How's your sleep?

 

[Ermintruder]

How's your sleep?

Aha- you guessed correctly! Absolutely bad, I'm sorry to say. Again, there are the most-evident & obvious of home / work-related reasons for this....

And this is irregardless of whether I get (per diem) 10k-15k of aerobic steps, or an encramped mere 3k wriggles over a CO2-enriched computer screen.

The prognosis is not good....but (like most of my life) it's outwith my true control.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Aha- you guessed correctly! Absolutely bad, I'm sorry to say. Again, there are the most-evident & obvious of home / work-related reasons for this....

And this is irregardless of whether I get (per diem) 10k-15k of aerobic steps, or an encramped mere 3k wriggles over a CO2-enriched computer screen.

The prognosis is not good....but (like most of my life) it's outwith my true control.

When I talk to people who tell me about some physical or mental health issue that's not immediately obvious, I always ask them about their sleep, and 99% of the time it's poor.

Sleep is quickly being discovered as a major component to our health from preventing infections, diabetes, cancer, dementia to our mental health, and how long we live.

Yet we still trivialize it. "Sleep hygiene," is a bloody silly term as it makes something that is so fundamentally important sound like a new Gywneth Paltrow product.

Avoid sleeping tablets as they can prevent restorative sleep and look at improving your sleep hygiene or if it is bad actually go and see/zoom a sleep expert.

Also, don't get me started on the "older people need less sleep" crap.

 

[catseye]

I was mildly worried to read that you can have too much sleep, as I need a good nine hours plus a night to be civilised company. It did seem to be an inconclusive result to some testing though (and now I can't find the link).

Lack of sleep is practically as endemic as bloody Covid right now, it seems.

Have you tried listening to audio books, Ermintruder? It's like being read to, for grown ups. And, if you get non-fiction books, if you still can't sleep at least you are learning something!

 

[Naughty_Felid]

I was mildly worried to read that you can have too much sleep, as I need a good nine hours plus a night to be civilised company. It did seem to be an inconclusive result to some testing though (and now I can't find the link).

Lack of sleep is practically as endemic as bloody Covid right now, it seems.

Have you tried listening to audio books, Ermintruder? It's like being read to, for grown ups. And, if you get non-fiction books, if you still can't sleep at least you are learning something!

9 hours of sleep is absolutely normal for people in your age range.

 

[catseye]

9 hours of sleep is absolutely normal for people in your age range.

Thanks Felid. The article I saw said that very minimal evidence showed that anything over eight hours could have a negative effect on health. But they couldn't be certain.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

You may, and thanks for enquiring. My subjective opinion (of course) is that time for me is now not as stretched as it was in mid-2019...but I don't feel that I've sprung back to any true 2018-and-earlier normal experiencing-the-passage-of-time.

There are probably masses of ongoing personal stress reasons for this (at home and certainly at work). If only I hadn't given-up on the lion taming.....

Glad it hear it isn't quite as strange as it was... but equally I'm sorry to hear you're still having problems and stress.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

Aha- you guessed correctly! Absolutely bad, I'm sorry to say. Again, there are the most-evident & obvious of home / work-related reasons for this....

And this is irregardless of whether I get (per diem) 10k-15k of aerobic steps, or an encramped mere 3k wriggles over a CO2-enriched computer screen.

The prognosis is not good....but (like most of my life) it's outwith my true control.

Further to, and not withstanding, other sleep-related suggestions, I would recommend Sleep Radio. I have it saved as a favourite on my internet radio although you can also listen online. Very soothing music that usually gets me off to sleep (except on my very worst insomnia-filled nights) but it is certainly relaxing. No adverts or talking, aside from the brief introduction from the station chap when you first switch it on.

Link here https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/

 

[catseye]

Further to, and not withstanding, other sleep-related suggestions, I would recommend Sleep Radio. I have it saved as a favourite on my internet radio although you can also listen online. Very soothing music that usually gets me off to sleep (except on my very worst insomnia-filled nights) but it is certainly relaxing. No adverts or talking, aside from the brief introduction from the station chap when you first switch it on.

Link here https://www.sleepradio.co.nz/

I need someone talking Zeb, to jerk me out of that awful 'middle of the night introspection' and if music is playing I just wander off into my own terrified world. Someone reading a story forces me to focus on the words and the story which, oddly, doesn't stop me falling asleep but does prevent my mind from looping into worry.

I guess everyone's insomnia is different though. I am glad music works for you. I've just seen 'Bedtime Stories' has come up on Audible - very boring stories where nothing happens, read in a soothing tone, maybe this is the middle ground?

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

I need someone talking Zeb, to jerk me out of that awful 'middle of the night introspection' and if music is playing I just wander off into my own terrified world. Someone reading a story forces me to focus on the words and the story which, oddly, doesn't stop me falling asleep but does prevent my mind from looping into worry.

I guess everyone's insomnia is different though. I am glad music works for you. I've just seen 'Bedtime Stories' has come up on Audible - very boring stories where nothing happens, read in a soothing tone, maybe this is the middle ground?

I do know what you mean. I think that's why the Sleep Radio doesn't always help me. If I "just can't sleep" for no apparent reason, it helps. If I'm anxious and worried it doesn't help because, like you, my mind drifts off into anxiety and worried thoughts and I need something else to focus on.

That's when I pull the other trick out of my sleeve. I often write fanfic (used to post it online, now it's just kinda private for me because I can never fully finish stories nowadays) BUT if I can't sleep and need to focus, I "write" the story/scene in my mind by picturing it as if I'm watching a television programme. I just force myself to concentrate on that, and it definitely works.

(It also helps with my story writing, as I "imagine and re-write" scenes in my head until I'm happy with them - sometimes going over the same scene for several nights in a row - until it is "polished" and then I can commit it to the computer )


If the Bedtime Stories thing you mention is the one I'm thinking of (paranormal-type stories as shown on youtube?) then that may indeed help you. Some of them are scarier than others but they always have a fairly grounded comment at the end so yeah, I think they might work so give it a try. Good luck!