"It feels like just yesterday it was summer ☀️, and now snow ❄️ is falling outside and Christmas songs 🎶 are playing."
Almost every adult has caught themselves thinking this at least once.
Time in Childhood 🧒
As children, days seemed endless:
summer vacations lasted forever 🏖️,
waiting for a birthday was almost unbearable 🎂,
a year felt like a huge span of life 📅.
Time in Adulthood 👩🦳👨🦳
With age, everything changes:
months pass almost unnoticed ⏱️,
years fly by as if someone is flipping through a calendar 📖.
What We’ll Cover in This Article 📖
We’ll explore:
physiological reasons 🧬,
psychological aspects 🪞,
the role of memory and perception 🧩,
the impact of modern lifestyle and technology 📱.
And most importantly — we’ll find out if it’s possible to “slow down” time ⏳ and make life feel more vivid and fulfilling.
Physiological Reasons 🧬
Metabolism and Biological Rhythm ⏱️
As we age, our bodies undergo natural changes.
In youth ⚡:
the heart beats faster ❤️,
metabolism is more active 🔥,
the nervous system responds more sharply ⚡.
This creates the impression that more events are happening around us.
With age, processes slow down 🐢:
the brain processes information more slowly,
nerve impulses transmit less dynamically.
We are like passengers 🚆 on a train that gradually gains speed — it feels as if time is “rushing.”
Fewer New Impressions ✨
Physiology is also tied to the number of impressions we experience.
In childhood and adolescence 🧒👧 everything is new:
the first trip to the sea 🏖️,
the first big book 📚,
first love 💘,
the first day at school or university 🎓.
Each “first” activates the brain and creates new neural connections 🧠.
In adulthood 👨🦳:
the same commute to work 🚌,
familiar colleagues 🤝,
repetitive tasks 📑.
The brain conserves energy and compresses information, making time feel shorter.
Neuroplasticity and Age-Related Changes 🧠
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt, form new connections, and change.
In youth 🚀:
quick learning,
easy language acquisition 🌍,
effortless adaptation to new environments.
In maturity 🌿:
this ability decreases,
new changes become harder,
time feels faster because the brain processes less novelty.
Psychological Aspects 🪞
The Proportional Time Theory ⏳
One of the most popular explanations is the “proportional time theory.”
For a child 👧, one year is a big part of life:
at 10 years old, 1 year = 10% of lived time.
For an adult 👨🦳:
at 40, 1 year = only 2.5%,
at 60 — even less.
👉 That’s why the older we get, the shorter a year feels.
Less Novelty ✨
In childhood, we experience many “firsts”:
the first time going to the store alone 🛒,
the first teacher 👩🏫,
the first concert 🎶.
Each new experience enriches life and stretches time.
In adulthood, everyday life becomes repetitive 🔁, and the brain starts compressing events — making years feel shorter.
Routine and Repetition 📅
Familiar feeling: a week flew by “like one day”?
That’s the effect of routine:
if days are almost identical,
the brain doesn’t separate them in memory,
as a result, the entire week is perceived as one short moment ⚡.
The Role of Memory and Perception 🧩
How Memories Are Formed 🧠
Our memory is not a video camera 🎥. It doesn’t store everything, only:
bright events 🌟,
emotional moments 💖,
meaningful experiences 📌.
👉 That’s why a vacation day full of events 🏖️ feels long, while a month of office work 💼 can shrink into a blur.
Travel Example ✈️
Many notice this:
one week of travel feels longer than several months of routine.
Why? Because each day brings:
new locations 🏰,
new people 🤝,
new tastes and smells 🍲🌺,
unexpected experiences 🎉.
The brain works hard to process this information, and time stretches in our perception ⏳.
Modern Lifestyle and Technology 📱🌍
Fast Information Consumption ⚡
We live in an era of information overload:
social media 📲,
news 📰,
videos 🎬.
Everything happens quickly and in abundance, creating the feeling that events follow each other instantly. We adapt to this pace and begin to feel like life itself is “flying” 🚀.
Multitasking and Lack of Focus 🔄
Every day we rush:
work 💼,
household chores 🏠,
messages and calls 📞💬.
As a result, we focus less on the present moment. When attention is scattered, time slips away unnoticed ⏱️.
Social Media as “Time Eaters” 🕳️🐇
How many times have you sat down to “scroll for a minute” 📲 — only to find an hour ⏰ had passed?
This is another way modern technology steals our attention and creates the illusion of time speeding up.
Can We Slow Down Time? ⏳🌿
The good news is yes! 🙌 Even though time passes objectively the same, we can change our perception of it.
🧘 Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness helps “return” our attention to the present moment:
focusing on breathing 🌬️,
surrounding sounds 🎶,
body sensations 🤲.
Such moments make life fuller and seem to stretch time.
📓 Journaling
Writing things down helps:
record events 🖊️,
make each day unique ✨.
Even a few sentences at night can change how we perceive time lived.
🌍 Trying New Things
traveling ✈️,
new hobbies 🎨,
learning 📚,
even changing your usual route 🚶.
Every novelty creates new impressions — and slows time down.
🎉 Creating Rituals and Traditions
Small celebrations, family traditions 👨👩👧👦, themed evenings 🍷🎶 — all of these form bright memories and add “anchors” to life.
🌸 Being “Here and Now”
Not living only by plans 🗓️ or memories 🖼️.
The present moment is the only one we truly have.
Conclusion ✨⏳
⏱️ Time Is Unchanging
Objectively, it’s always the same:
24 hours a day 🌞🌙,
365 days a year 📅.
But our perception is different at 10, 30, or 60. This is the result of:
physiological changes 🧬,
psychological mechanisms 🧠,
memory patterns 💭,
the impact of modern life 📱.
🌈 Why We Shouldn’t Be Sad
The phrase “time flies” shouldn’t cause sadness.
On the contrary, it’s a reminder that we can:
add more new impressions ✈️🎶,
pay attention to details 🌸,
value the present moment ❤️.
🛤️ Our Own Rhythm
Life doesn’t have a “slow down” button ⏸️.
But we can create our own rhythm, filled with mindfulness and novelty.
Then time becomes our ally 🤝, not our enemy.