Ever get the feeling that time is slipping through your fingers faster and faster each year? You’re not imagining things. As we age, our perception of time speeds up. The days, weeks, and years seem to hurtle by in the blink of an eye compared to when we were kids. What’s going on here, and what can you do about it?
Table of Contents
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun: The Perception of Time
As we age, time moves faster and faster. The days, weeks, and years appear to fly by in the blink of an eye. This is partly due to our perception of time changing as we age. Several factors influence how quickly or slowly we perceive the passage of time:
- Routine and repetition When we do the same thing day after day, time blends in. Break up your routine by trying new activities or hobbies.
- How much you’re experiencing. Time seems to move slowly when you’re experiencing new things. Travel, learn an instrument, read books, or take a class on something that interests you. New experiences make time expand.
- Your emotional state When you’re having fun or engaged in an activity, time passes quickly. When you’re bored or anxious, time drags on. Do things you find meaningful or exciting. Spend less time worrying or being idle.
- How you’re measuring time Focus less on hours, days, and years. Live in the present moment as much as possible. Be fully engaged in what you’re doing instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
- Slowing down. Move at a slower pace. Don’t feel pressured to rush from one thing to the next constantly. Take shorter strides when walking, eat more slowly, limit distractions, and be fully present in each moment.
Perception of time is very subjective, so you have some control over how quickly or slowly it passes for you. Small changes to add meaning and enrich your days can help slow the clock down. Focus on living in the present, experiencing each moment as fully as possible. Before you know it, time will move at a pace that feels just right.
If Time is a Thief, Why Do We Give It So Much Power?
If time is a thief, why do we give it so much power over us? As we age, the days, weeks, and years seem to speed by alarmingly. But time itself isn’t moving any faster. Our perception of time is highly subjective and shaped by our experiences, emotions, and stage of life.
The “pace of life” speeds up.
As adults, our lives move at a faster pace. We have careers, families, responsibilities, and less leisure time. This hurried “pace of life” makes time feel like flying. But time passes at the same steady rate of 60 seconds per minute. We have more to do in those minutes and less time to pause and appreciate them.
We have more memories to compare to
The longer we’ve lived, the more memories we have to compare to the present moment. This gives us the feeling that time is slipping away faster. Think of your first ten years of life—that felt like an eternity! Now, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. But a year is still 365 days, and we have many more years of memories to reference.
We dread missing out.
The fear of missing out and the desire to accomplish certain life milestones before we’re “too old” fuel our perception of fleeting time. We worry we will only achieve some things on our bucket list or life-to-do list if time keeps flying. But the truth is, we have all the time we need if we choose to slow down and focus on what matters.
Read more
Tips to slow down time
A few ways to press pause on the passage of time include:
• Live in the present moment. Savor simple pleasures and be fully immersed in the current experience.
• Limit distractions and spend time with loved ones. Social interaction and bonding with others slow our sense of time.
• Take regular vacations and practice self-care. Stepping away from routine and responsibilities makes time stand still.
• Start new hobbies or activities that engage you. When we’re engrossed in an experience, time moves more slowly.
• Maintain a sense of gratitude and optimism. Negative emotions like stress, regret, and pessimism accelerate our perception of time. Focus on the positive.
While we can’t stop the clock from ticking, we can live at a slower pace, savor moments, and keep our attention on what matters. Our sense of fleeting time is often an illusion we have more control over than we realize. Cherish each moment; time will only move as fast as you let it.
Why does time seem to speed up as we get older?
Why does time seem to speed up as we get older? Several factors contribute to this strange phenomenon.
1. Our perception of time is relative.
When we’re young, time seems to move slowly because we haven’t experienced much of it yet. A summer break feels endless. As we age, we have more life experiences and memories to gauge the passage of time against. A year now represents a smaller fraction of our total life, so it feels shorter. Our perception of time passing is directly related to the amount of time we’ve already lived.
2. Life’s routines and repetition
Most days follow predictable routines as adults: wake up, commute to work, commute home, make dinner, go to bed, repeat. When our lives lack variety and new experiences, our memories of specific events blur together. This makes time move more quickly. Do something to break up the routine, like vacationing, picking up a hobby, or making new friends. New experiences help create more memories and make time feel more expansive.
3. Busier schedules
Adulthood also brings more responsibilities, like careers, families, and financial obligations. Busier schedules are now filled with work, chores, errands, and tasks. We feel we need more time when we’re occupied with many things demanding our time and attention. Try to limit distractions and be fully present in the moment. Make time for leisure activities you enjoy. Staying busy is different from living an engaging, meaningful life.
4. Health changes
As we age, our health and energy levels change. Conditions like insomnia or medication side effects can disrupt our circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles. Impaired sleep makes time feel like it’s passing more quickly. Prioritize good sleep hygiene and talk to your doctor about any health issues. Exercise regularly to boost energy and slow down aging. Taking good care of your physical and mental health will help you feel more balanced and present.
The passage of time may feel unstoppable, but small changes to add more meaning, variety, and mindfulness to your days can help slow it down. Focusing on living fully in each moment will make life feel more expansive again.
Read more
The Science Behind Our Perception of Time
As we age, time moves faster and faster. Have you ever wondered why this is? There are a few reasons for this psychological phenomenon.
1. Our brain’s perception of time changes.
As we age, the parts of our brain responsible for perceiving time become less active. Studies show the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex slow down as we age, altering our judgment of how fast time passes. When we’re young, time creeps by slowly because our brains are highly active, taking in and processing lots of new information. As adults, less information is new or novel to us, so our brains can work less hard to process it. This makes time appear to speed up.
- Our internal clocks also run slightly faster. The circadian rhythms in older adults make them perceive a day or week as shorter than it is.
2. Life’s milestones seem closer together.
When we’re young, life’s milestones seem far apart. As we age, those milestones come faster and faster, giving the illusion of time speeding up. The time between 20 and 30 seems longer than between 50 and 60 years old because more life events and milestones occur in our early years.
- As we grow older, certain events like having children, getting married, changing careers, retiring, and experiencing health changes mark the passage of time.
3. We have more routine and fewer new experiences.
The more we experience the same routine day after day, the more quickly time passes. As children, every day brought new experiences to absorb. The work commute, household chores, and daily tasks often blur into repetition. Our brains tune out this routine, making time vanish.
To slow down your perception of time, break up your routines. Take a new class, start a hobby, and travel when you can. New experiences ignite your senses and grab your brain’s attention, giving you the feeling of expanded time. Spending time with loved ones also helps make moments feel longer and more meaningful. While we can’t stop the clock, we can make the most of the time we have.
Read more
4. How Routine and Familiarity Make Time Go Faster
Time seems to move faster as we get older for a few reasons, most of which relate to routine and familiarity.
The lack of new experiences slows our perception of time.
When we’re young, everything is new and exciting. We’re constantly learning, exploring, and exposing ourselves to new experiences, adventures, and stimuli. This helps create more memories and gives us the feeling that time is expanding.
As we age, we fall into comfortable routines and patterns. We do the same things repeatedly, visit the same places, and see the same people. This lack of new experiences causes our memories to fade together and time to feel like it’s speeding up.
To counteract this, seek out new experiences that ignite your senses. Travel to new places, try different foods, take up a hobby, and learn a new skill. New challenges and adventures will make time feel more spacious again.
Familiarity breeds a need for more awareness about the passage of time.
When we do the same familiar things day after day, we go into autopilot mode. We lose awareness of our surroundings and the passage of time. Minutes turn into hours and hours into days without us noticing.
Shake up your routine to regain awareness of time. Do small things differently, like taking a new route to work, listening to different music, or switching up your morning ritual. Please pay close attention to moments as they happen instead of rushing through your day on autopilot. Savor small details in your environment and be fully present in conversations and interactions.
Breaking routines and trying new experiences can slow your perception of time and help you appreciate life more fully. The more you live in the present, the more time will feel like it’s standing still.
Read more
5. Busyness and Lack of Novelty Accelerate Time
As we age, time moves faster and faster. Two reasons for this are busyness and the need for novelty.
Busyness
The more we pack into our days, the less time we have to stop and appreciate the moment. Days and weeks blur together when rushing from one task to the next. Try to slow down and be fully present in the current moment. Savor the small details in your surroundings. Take time daily to do one thing at a time and avoid multitasking.
Taking occasional breaks from your routine can also help. Try leaving your watch and phone behind for a day and doing something enjoyable like hiking, reading a book, or pursuing a hobby. Making time for leisure activities and spending time with loved ones creates more memories, making time feel slower.
Lack of novelty
As we age, we fall into comfortable routines and experience fewer unfamiliar situations. This lack of newness causes time to speed up. Our brains encode new experiences into our memories more strongly, so familiar repeats of the same old routines aren’t encoded as deeply. This makes time pass more quickly in retrospect.
Seek out new experiences to help slow your sense of time. Explore new places, read books on unfamiliar topics, take a class on a new subject, or try unique restaurants with different cuisines. Learn a new skill or instrument, start a hobby, volunteer, or join a local sports league. New challenges and activities stimulate your mind and create vivid memories that make time feel like it’s moving at a slower, steadier pace.
Adding variety, appreciating details, spending time with loved ones, and avoiding busyness can slow down time as you age. Cherish each moment as a gift and find ways to broaden your mind; your sense of time will slow down.
How to Slow Down Time and Make the Most of Every Moment
Time has a way of slipping through our fingers as we get older. The weeks, months, and years seem to pass more quickly, and we often wonder where the time went. The good news is that you can use a few tricks to slow down your perception of time and savor each moment.
1. Focus on new experiences
Doing new things helps create more memories, which makes time feel like it’s passing more slowly. Consider trying new hobbies, exploring new places, reading about unfamiliar topics, or talking to new people. New experiences stimulate your mind and senses, cementing the moment in your memory.
2. Be present in the moment.
It’s easy to dwell on the past or worry about the future, but that takes you out of the present moment. Try to fully engage in whatever you’re doing right now—talking to a friend, eating a meal, reading a book, or exercising. Pay close attention to small details in your surroundings. Put away distractions like your phone and avoid multitasking. Being fully present causes minutes to feel longer.
Read more
3. Review Regularly
Reflection is a powerful way to gain perspective on the passage of time. Look through old photos, read journals or letters, share memories with loved ones, or reflect on meaningful life events daily. This makes you more aware of how much has happened in your life and how far you’ve come, giving you a greater appreciation for each day. Reviewing regularly helps create more connections between the past and present in your mind, slowing down your sense of time.
4. Don’t wish away time.
It’s easy to fall into the habit of constantly looking forward to the next weekend, vacation, milestone, or life event. But this wishing away of the present moment speeds up your perception of time passing. Instead, find ways to embrace and enjoy each day as it comes. Appreciate simple pleasures, live in line with your priorities, and make the most of the time you have. Stop waiting for someday that may never come, and enjoy the now.
Slowing down time is really about expanding your awareness of the present moment. The more you practice living in and savoring the now, the more time will seem to stand still. Make the minutes matter and find ways to weave more meaning into each day. Time may be fleeting, but you can make every moment count.
5. Practicing mindfulness
To slow down the feeling of time passing quickly, practice living in the present moment through mindfulness techniques.
1. Pay close attention to your senses.
Notice the little details in your surroundings by focusing your senses. What do you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste? Take time to appreciate each moment’s colors, sounds, scents, textures, and flavors. See the beauty in the little things.
2. Limit distractions
Minimize interruptions from electronics like phones, TVs, and computers. Give people your full attention when speaking with them. Single-task instead of multitasking, and be fully immersed in the activity you’re doing.
3. Slow down your routine.
Rush less by building buffer time into your schedule and avoiding overcommitting yourself. Take deep breaths to help you maintain a slower pace. Savor and be fully present in your daily routines, like eating, bathing, and walking.
4. Reflect on the moment.
Periodically pause to appreciate the simple pleasures in each moment. Be grateful for what you have right now. Ask yourself questions like, “What am I experiencing right this second?” and “How do I want to remember this moment?” This helps build awareness and gratitude, making time feel like it’s passing slowly.
Cultivating mindfulness and living in the present takes effort, but it combats the feeling of time passing quickly. Slow down, simplify, reflect, and embrace every moment. Your life will feel more rich and meaningful when you do.
6. Setting Goals and Looking Forward to the Future
Time seems to move faster as we age for a few reasons, but don’t despair—there are ways to slow it down.
1. Set meaningful Goals
Having purpose and direction in your life makes time seem to pass slowly. Set specific and meaningful long-term goals to work toward, like learning a new skill, traveling, or a creative project. Break down big goals into smaller milestones to celebrate along the way. Achieving these milestones will give you a sense of progress and make time feel more expansive.
2. Enjoy The Moment
Spending too much time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future causes the years to fly by. Try to be fully present in the current moment. Savor simple pleasures like cooking, exercising, socializing, or pursuing hobbies. Put away distractions and be fully engaged in whatever you’re doing. Taking the time to appreciate each day as it happens will make life feel more meaningful and help slow down your perception of time.
3. Expand Your Experiences
Routines and repetition speed up our time perception. Shake up your regular schedule by trying new things and exposing yourself to new experiences as often as possible. Take a different route to work, read books on new topics, travel when you can, and learn to cook different cuisines. New experiences stimulate your mind and create more memories, giving you a sense of expanded time.
4. Connect with Others
Strong social connections are vital to well-being and a slower time passing. Make the time to nurture your close relationships and foster new connections. Call or video chat with friends and family, get together in person when possible, and join a local club to find like-minded people. Caring for others gets your mind off the swift passage of time and creates cherished memories that make life feel longer and more meaningful.
Read more
Live purposefully. Appreciate each moment. Expand your horizons. Connect with others. These are the keys to slowing down time and making the years feel rich and expansive instead of fleeting. Our time is precious, so take steps to live fully while you can.
7. Time Is Precious: Prioritizing Meaningful Activities and Relationships
As we get older, the days seem to slip by faster and faster. Before we know it, weeks have passed, and we’re left wondering where the time went. Time itself doesn’t speed up; our perception of time changes as we age.
1. Focus on experiences, not things.
Spend your limited time on the experiences and relationships that truly matter to you. Make the time to connect with close friends and family, try new hobbies, learn a new skill, travel, and explore. Studies show that focusing on experiences rather than material goods leads to greater happiness and satisfaction.
2. Minimize Distractions
Put down your phone and be fully present in the moment. Make eye contact, actively listen, and engage with friends and loved ones. Spending quality time together, free of devices, strengthens your bonds and decreases your perception of time.
3. Keep a routine
Establishing a routine gives you anchor points to keep time in perspective. Wake up and go to bed simultaneously each day, even on weekends. Have a usual schedule for meals, exercise, work, school, chores, and leisure activities. Familiar routines make time seem more abundant.
4. Reflect on the Past
Looking through old photos or sharing stories with others about good times you’ve shared can help reframe your view of time. Appreciating how far you’ve come and the memories you’ve made along the way gives more meaning to the present moment.
The truth is, we can’t stop the clock from ticking. But by making the moments we have count, time will feel fuller and richer. Focusing on what matters—the experiences and relationships that shape our lives—is the secret to slowing down time. Live in the present, nurture meaningful connections, follow familiar rhythms, and reflect on the journey. Your time will be well spent.
Read more
Conclusion
So there you have it: a few reasons why time seems to accelerate as you get older and a few tips to help slow things down. While you can’t stop the steady ticking of the clock, you can work to be more mindful and present each day. Savor life’s moments, big and small. Connect more deeply with friends and loved ones. Pursue new hobbies and adventures that engage your mind and body.
The more you immerse yourself in the present, the more time will slow down. Though age may be just a number, our perception of time is within our control. Choose to live fully in each moment; your future self will thank you.
References
- Time Going Too Fast? A Psychologist Explains What You Can Do to Slow It Down By STEVE TAYLOR
- Why Does Time Seem to Speed Up as We Age? by Teri Wilson
- Feel the Time. Time Perception as a Function of Interoceptive Processing by Daniele Di Lernia1*Silvia Serino1,2Giovanni Pezzulo3Elisa Pedroli2Pietro Cipresso1,2Giuseppe Riva1,2 ( ORIGINAL RESEARCH article- Front. Hum. Neurosci., 06 March 2018, Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience,)Volume 12 – 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00074)
Let’s boost your self-growth with Believe in Mind.
Interested in self-reflection tips, learning hacks, and knowing ways to calm down your mind? We offer you the best content which you have been looking for.