The Secret to Slowing Down Time

We all want to slow down time. The days slowly pass while the years fly by. There’s a reason why we perceive time the way we do. Read on to find out how you can slow time’s fleeting moments.

Here in the sunny State of Colorado, the back-to-school blitz is on. The Target store aisles are filled with list-wielding shoppers snapping up school supplies. The days are getting shorter and summer is almost over. For many, the season has flown by. Soon the snowflakes will be flying too.

Why does time seem to accelerate as we get older?

When we were young, so much of what we experienced was new. Our little brains worked overtime to process fresh information. No wonder we slept so well!

As we age, less surprises us. We go through the motions of daily life. Our brain doesn’t have to work very hard since it has already processed our surroundings. As we drag our feet through mundane activities during the week, our memories of similar days blend together and time speeds up.

Routine = Blended memories = Time acceleration.

Ordinary events like coming home from work, making a frozen pizza and watching a baseball game on TV blend together. But if you raced home from work and drove to a baseball game with friends or family, you would remember that occasion. As you begin to add various activities to your schedule, time slows down.

Here’s a memorable family moment.

Diverse activities = Distinctive memories = Time deceleration.

The weird thing is time flies when you are having fun! Over a short period time, it seems to accelerate when we aren’t aware of the passing minutes or hours. The opposite is true if we are on a cold examining table while watching the clock and waiting for the doctor to arrive, especially if we are naked under a paper sheet.

“Hey! I’m enjoying my own dog days.”

I recently ran into a middle-aged man warming up in a ski lodge. “If you want to slow down time, just have a baby,” he said. After remarrying, he started a second family. He had forgotten how boredom makes time seem endless. That’s what happens when we stare at the clock.

So here’s the trick. If you want to slow down the perception of time, make some plans! Shake things up. Break out of your routine every day and surround yourself with different environments. Don’t look at the clock and the day will race by, but when you look back at the weeks or months at all those distinctive memories, it will seem as if time slowed.

Last year, we traveled to Europe in the beginning of summer. We also took a trip to Wisconsin and California. That was the longest summer ever!

Me? Oh no. I don’t want to slow down time. I live in the land of 300 sunny days. This summer has been endless. I plan to sit here and type until the snow flies. I can’t wait for ski season!

It won’t be long!

Is time accelerating as you get older?

A post you might like  – 10 Things You Can Do Before it’s too Late!

Related articles:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/health/05mind.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3532195.stm