Slowing Down Time

Time is constant and is the same for all of us, but our perception of it is subjective. How long an hour, a week, or a year feels is something that is relative and seems to change throughout our lives.

For example, an hour spent on something we don’t usually like (cleaning, in my case) seems to take so long, and time goes by so slowly. However, an hour of an activity we enjoy (dinner with friends, for instance) seems too short, and time passes very quickly.

But a more glaring reflection is when we reminisce how much more time we seemed to have as children versus now as adults where so much is impossible to do with the little time we are given.

Our early years seem longer as we had no time commitments then; we were usually told what to do. At that age, we also form higher-quality memories (sharper and more lasting), making early years seem so full.

As we become adults, however, we tend to take on more time commitments. As our work and domestic lives stabilize, the years increasingly resemble each other – thus creating the sense that less “living” happens each year.

As adults, we spend much of the time on autopilot, with most of our attention on past, future, or hypothetical moments. Whereas when we were children we were usually immersed in the present moment which creates long, vivid days, with many more touch-points for memory and appreciation.

So how do we “slow” time? It’s very simple. If we shift our focus to the present moment (when we’re working, cleaning, or having dinner with friends), we will start to feel time as more abundant. Invest more attention in present-moment experience and you will see time stretch and slow down for you to enjoy.

Read more here.