The psychologist spoke about the "spare life" syndrome

The habit of postponing important decisions and personal desires for later can form a person's so—called "spare life" syndrome, a condition that creates the illusion that real life will begin later. Natalia Vorobyeva, a volunteer psychologist at the Oncologica Foundation and a CBT therapist, told Izvestia about this on April 30.

"The roots of this condition are formed in childhood. The deferred reward model of "effort first, then result" can eventually shift the focus from the present to the constant expectation of the future. An additional factor is the fear of the finiteness of life: to reduce anxiety, the psyche creates a feeling that there will still be enough time ahead," the expert explained.

According to her, the information environment also has an impact. Social media reinforces the feeling that "real life" is happening somewhere outside of the current moment. This creates an inner sense of scarcity and dissatisfaction, which accumulates over time.

Perfectionism plays a separate role. The attitude of "I'll start when I'm ready" or "when conditions become ideal" often leads to the fact that a person does not take action. As a result, the psychologist notes, people more often regret not the actions they committed, but the opportunities they did not take advantage of.

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"Coming out of the state begins with the realization of one's own deferred desires. It is necessary to analyze the list of plans that are constantly being postponed, and ask yourself what prevents them from being implemented in the near future. It is also useful to imagine a limited time: it helps to re—evaluate priorities," Vorobyova said.

In addition, it is important to reconsider the attitude towards goals. According to the psychologist, life should not turn into a project postponed for the sake of future results. On the contrary, goals should fill the current moment and make everyday life more meaningful.

As a practice, the specialist suggests mentally summarizing the results of the day. This approach helps to shift attention to significant details — emotions, communication, simple events, and bring back a sense of reality.

The psychologist emphasizes that the key question is not how many opportunities are still ahead, but how fully a person lives the present. Avoiding constant expectation and paying attention to the current moment can reduce inner anxiety and improve the quality of life.

Medical Xpress magazine reported on April 19 that the ability to find objects in everyday settings depends on the visual search process, in which the brain regularly makes mistakes. The researchers found that a person can look at an object but not register its presence, working on the principle of "looking but not seeing."