How to Slow Down Time

Am I the only one who feels this way?
When I was a child, days seemed endless—afternoons stretched on forever, and summers felt like whole lifetimes. But as an adult, time feels like it’s constantly slipping through my fingers. Yesterday already feels like a month ago, mornings turn into afternoons in the blink of an eye, and by the time I’ve finished dinner, it’s suddenly bedtime again.

So why does time feel like it’s speeding up as we grow older?

Neuroscientists actually have an explanation. They say our brains perceive time almost like a camera captures frames. When we’re young, the “frames” are incredibly fine and detailed—imagine experiencing life at 0.001-second intervals. As we age, those frames widen to 0.01 seconds, 0.1 seconds, maybe even full seconds at a time. The fewer the frames, the faster time feels. The clock itself hasn’t changed—only the way we register it has.

When I first learned this, I felt a little sad. Growing older is hard enough to accept, and realizing that time itself feels like it’s accelerating was almost too much. But then I made a quiet promise to myself: If time is going to rush forward anyway, I’ll choose not to waste it. I’ll learn to ride the flow instead of being dragged along by it.

Since then, something shifted. I spend less time zoning out or scrolling aimlessly, and more time actually enjoying what’s in front of me. Strangely enough, that alone made time feel slower—fuller.

I also realized that if a child’s world feels slow because their frames are so small, maybe I could “shrink my frames” on purpose. Instead of watching random movies I didn’t care about, I picked films I’d truly wanted to see. Instead of scrolling through endless feeds, I called my parents during my commute to ask about their day. Instead of letting empty minutes slip away, I filled them with small, intentional choices. Suddenly, every moment felt sharper, and the day stretched just a little longer.

Do you ever feel like your days are rushing by too quickly?
If so, I encourage you to try shifting your habits. Be deliberate. Pay attention. Fill your hours with things that truly matter to you. You might be surprised at how time begins to slow down—not on the clock, but in the way you experience it.

- Luda