Mental Health Implications of Time

Moments in which we live will not find themselves in a repeated existence. Access to these moments is only available through memory. Each existence is a complex experience with a varied interpretation of the present. When I look out the window onto the street as someone walks by, our spaces overlap; however, our perception of time is inevitably different. For they are in motion, and I am not. The pacing of life is going to continue to move relative to an individual’s input and output systems. What fuels an individual’s motive to move through time, we may consider to be the energy provider to the person, while the output of this energy is the application of the self through time. Remaining in positions that do not ignite an individual’s spark creates a stagnant self.

This system of movement through time is not necessarily a physical system of input and output. How one moves through time is a perspective owned by the individual that is often made through comparison and retrospection. Comparison of the self for improvement and progress is one identifying marker for the passage of time. However, it’s the thief of all joy when one compares themself to another individual. The former will not be of any benefit to the self, as both individuals have progressed through time in differing ways with different inputs and outputs. Often, one compares the output of another individual to their own, but this judgment cannot be made because the individual is entirely unaware of the input of the other.

 In the presence of relativity comes the sense that perspective is guaranteed to each observer. The scenes of existence are all filled with varying time points. A tree stands for hundreds of years as a squirrel climbs. Both actors in this scene are moving through time, whether aware or unaware of it, as they may be. Nonetheless, the time is the possessor of the information. This information consists of the context surrounding time, as well as the expectation and outcome of the time. Information storage does not belong only to time; the storage is a shared space of memory and time. An individual’s memory will possess the moment relative to themselves, while time will store information of the moment relative to its own context. The collective that experiences a trauma or major event will all store this information with a perspective relative to the individual. Meanwhile, the event itself will be information stored in time. When reflecting on history that no living body has a memory of, the information is stored in time.

Past

When one considers events that have taken place in the recent or distant past, these times are stored in the memories of the individual present at that time. However, the objective time will remain known to only the information of the time itself. An individual’s memory is a subjective view of the information based on the individual’s state. Situations that ask individuals to recall information from an event will most likely share different reflections unless cued by a fact. Reflection on a time is inevitably skewed by the current implications and outlooks of the individual. That is not to say recall of the past will always be entirely wrong, as some events will cement themselves in the individual. Often, our senses play a role in bringing us back to an event. The most common example is the smell of homemade cookies transporting you back in time to grandma’s house as a kid.

Having the ability to access previous versions of the self is beneficial in the process of self-improvement. However, research provides the insight that too much rumination is associated with a lower level of well-being. Deciding to access previous times serves as a reminder of the “then” and the “now.” The person who was present for the “then” has evolved to the person of the “now.” When accessing the “then,” it is important to remember the information of the time, as the person of the “now” exists with a hindsight bias. Reflecting on the past may cast a multitude of lights on the information of the time, as it elicits the states of both selves (current and past). The current self will meet the past self in a conjunction of “was” and “is.” In any case, the current self should hold a space of gratitude for the self that brought them to the present. The individual who continues to move through time has made progress, linear or not.

Present

The accessibility of the past is available only through the storage space of the individual. Memory moves with a flexible disposition of accurate and inaccurate accounts, where the accuracy measures are subject to scrutiny. The creation of past accounts is done through the presence of the present. Infinitely available are the moments in which we are always present;. Rumination lends its hand to the individual who lives in the past. The individual who lives for the present is the subject of each moment they exist in, no matter how big or small the role.

The individual has the opportunity to play an offensive position in their life, taking the strides to move them closer to their goals. Personal agency of the individual is driven by the wants and needs of the present. Decisions that are made consider previous outcomes and future implications; however, the decisive individual is the present individual. Outcomes remain unrevealed until the individual meets them in time, where that information surfaces to conscious awareness. Living in the present is striking the balance of the past and the future, a way of moving through time that honors who one was and who one is becomingthey. To do so, an individual must embark on the journey of the progressing individual by way of refinement. Living for the present is living for the self.

Future

What gives humans a survival advantage is the ability to anticipate. Needs of one’s future exist through the understanding of the past. The non-linearity of time shows itself through our mind’s ability to set expectations of the future based on the past. When someone forms their likes and dislikes, these opinions are immediately applied to every future situation without thought for the times in between. Captives of one’s own opinions are a personal attribute of a different time. Moving through time with an open mind allows for the hostages of the future to be freed.

How the future shapes itself to exist will always be made through each moment that comes before. What one must remember when considering the future is that the future itself is not worried. It will exist either way. Worry for the future is made through the contemplation of how one will carry themselves into the future. Outcomes for all inputs are guaranteed through the conceptualized linear progression of time. Tomorrow is the outcome of today. Moving forward through time can only be evaluated when an individual arrives at a point where they can reflect.

When everything is in motion, it is difficult for one to know where they exist relative to all that is around them. Markers of relativity serve as constructive advice. Only the tree that bears the wind can determine its willingness to grow back its leaves. Comparison is only a judgment of the reflection, point. Relativity informs the individual where they are in context, where highlights of past and future shine a light on the path. Everything is moving through time, arriving at their own futures based on their own past. My today is different from your today, and therefore my tomorrow will be too.

The Only Way Out…Is Through

The evolution of the self does not progress through time in linear fashion, just as time does not exist in a linear fashion. At any given moment, the individual can evaluate themselves in the present. A self-check-in allows for adjustment as one moves through time. One is not beholden to the path that brought them to the present, nor are they beholden to the expectations of the future.

To move through time is to make peace with its characteristics. An understanding of time’s fluidity can embark the individual on a journey of progress. This progress is made through visiting the self at all points in time and painting the pictures of who the self evolves to become. Information about the past and future belongs to that time. The reality we exist in at any given time is always the present. Previously known as the future, and in the future, known as the past. All the time that we have lives infinitely in the now.