Why Time Seems to Be Going Faster (and What You Can Do About It)

We decorated the Christmas tree a few weeks ago, and it felt like we'd put it away just last month. You know the feeling: you blink and it's already Friday. Or worse: it's almost New Year's Eve, and you swear it was just summer. You're not crazy, and it's not your age. It's your brain, and luckily, there's something you can do about it.

Your brain is lazy (and that's actually smart)

A neurologist discovered something fascinating while examining brain scans of his patients: after the age of thirty, your brain largely stops "recording" new memories. Not because anything is wrong, but because your brain conserves energy. When every day resembles the last, your hippocampus (the part of your brain that stores memories) thinks: Why should I record this? I've seen this before.

When you were young, everything was new. Your first day of school, your first kiss, your first home. Your brain was working overtime to record everything. Because of that, time felt slower—so much was happening. Now? Your brain goes on autopilot and presses replay.

"I've lived 40 years, but I only remember a few months"

You can probably relate to that too. Because how many of the past few years do you really remember? Not the big moments like vacations, holidays, or birthdays, but just ordinary Tuesdays?

Fortunately, there's good news, because the patient was given a simple prescription: Do something new every day . It doesn't have to be anything big; you don't need a bungee jump or a world trip. Just something small or a little crazy. A month later, he returned with the message that his life felt "open" again. Days stopped blending together. Time slowed down.

The experiment that proves everything

In the lab, they tested two groups of people. One group lived the exact same routine, day in, day out. The other group added small daily changes. The result? The first group felt like three days had passed. The second group? They felt like they'd lived a week and a half.

Same time period. Completely different experience. The only difference was novelty and attention.

Sleep and stress are also culprits

Besides routine, lack of sleep and stress also play a major role. Lack of sleep disrupts the way your brain processes information. You miss details, and moments slip by. Stress increases your cortisol levels, which completely disrupts your perception of time.

Another patient said after improving his sleep pattern, “I stopped running, and suddenly mornings felt like a journey.” It sounds almost poetic, but it’s pure science.

Also read 👉 Why 'sleepmaxxing' is the wellness trend that we want to keep

Practical tips to slow down time

Luckily, it's largely fixable, you can try this today:

• Break your routine – Take a different route to work. Have lunch at a new place. Put on a different playlist. Your brain registers it as "new" and switches to recording mode.
• Do something for the first time – Try a recipe you've never made before. Download that app to learn a foreign language. Send a voice memo instead of a text. Small is fine.
• Be consciously present – ​​Easier said than done with a busy schedule, but even five minutes of genuine attention to your coffee, your child, or the air outside makes a difference.
• Fix your sleep – Yes, we know, it's easy to say. But even going to bed half an hour earlier can help. Your brain needs rest to store memories.
• Plan "firsts" – Consciously schedule new experiences in your calendar. A museum you've never been to, a walk in a different park, a workshop . It doesn't have to be spectacular, as long as it's new.

Time doesn't disappear, you just don't pay attention

This is perhaps the most important lesson: time doesn't actually fly by . You just don't register it anymore because your brain is on autopilot. Take yourself out, add new things, pay attention to the little things, and suddenly you'll have more time. Not literally, of course, but it feels that way. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.

With Happlify, we're trying to remind you of this. Sign up for our Happy Thoughts newsletter and follow Happlify on Instagram. This way, you'll occasionally receive a fun challenge for free to stay awake and slow down time.

Put your time on pause, today!

Speaking of challenges, are you familiar with Happlify's free Make it Slow 10-Day Challenge ? It's specifically designed to pause and slow down time. Do it now and thank me later.

Image: M. Faisal via Unsplash