I often feel like I can no longer keep up anymore with how quickly the days pass by. There is never enough time in the day. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, as I hear other people say something similar all of the time.

Kids don’t appear to experience this as much, and I read recently that it is because kids see each moment as an individual event. A day at the beach starts out with a trip in the car, excitement levels high in anticipation, lots of chatter from the backseat as they make plans for building enormous sandcastles covered with shells and seaweed like last time, or challenges to jump into the water no matter how cold. Then, the view of the blue-green water through the window, the waves, the blue sky dotted with a few fluffy white clouds, all the brightly colored umbrellas, the people! Once outside, the feel of the warm wind on their faces, feet sinking into the hot sand with each step, spraying back at me as they run. The sounds of gulls overhead searching for food and the waves crashing, people laughing. Challenge accepted and they run out into the water, then run back because it is cold! Smiles from ear to ear as they lick melting sweet ice cream off their hands.

As adults we tend to combine things into single events: A day at the beach, Christmas, summer vacation. If there are individual memories of the event, they aren’t nearly as distinct anymore—and they frequently get lumped together. This makes time appear to go by more quickly. Before you know it, the morning is over and it’s lunchtime, and suddenly it’s Friday already and there is so much I didn’t get done.

Some of this is negativity bias, some of it is just mindlessness. We allow the day to pass by without feeling the warm sand between our toes.

So how do we bring back our child-like sense of time?

Make time to pause and reflect as it’s rare that we can find extra time in our day. We have to make it happen, but luckily, it doesn’t take much. Try leaning into your senses for a moment or two throughout the day and see if this changes your perception of time passing. I think it will.

Break up your day by using all of your senses:

Visual

Slow down as you walk by a window and look outdoors, or briefly look around your room and take things in. This keeps us in the present moment, helps with daydreaming and distraction which make us lose all sense of time.

Physical sensations

What is your body telling you? Does it need a stretch? A change in position? Can you feel your feet as they hit the ground with each step? We all know touch can be a powerful healer, and even our own sense of touch can help us experience each moment more completely.

Sound

The whir of a fan, the gentle hum of voices in the next room, birds chirping outside your window. Listen and remember where you are.

Taste

We tend to rush through our meals and barely taste them, or snack without any sense of how much we’ve eaten. See if you can taste each bite, feel the texture, enjoy the act of eating.



Emotions

Take a moment and note how you are feeling. Is it joy, excitement, sadness, agitation? Experience whatever emotion is here, just as it is. This adds depth and personality to the moment. It helps us to connect our internal and external worlds.