Slowing Down Time as We Age

By Kaye Olsson, I Start Wondering Columnist

Do you ever feel like the older we get, the more quickly time seems to pass by? This phenomenon hit me particularly hard last summer. The summer season is always a brief period of warmth here in the northwestern United States, but it felt like I just woke up one morning and suddenly it was already over. 

Picture by Emily Winnie

So, this year, I decided to try a new strategy for slowing down time—or at least my perception of it. Rather than sticking to my normal routine and blindly sleepwalking through each day, I made a list of fun activities that could help me savor the short summer season. They were simple things like enjoying a picnic outdoors, watching the sunrise, or taking a day trip to someplace new. I made a point to incorporate at least one fun activity into my schedule each week and to be fully present during each experience.

Much to my delight, this approach actually worked, and I truly enjoyed a reasonably long summer for a change. Summer wasn’t actually longer—it had the same number of days as always. But it turns out that when I started slowing down, so did my perception of time.

Apparently, there is some hard science to back up my anecdotal findings. In a 2019 study, a group of neuroscientists focused on the brain’s reaction to novel experiences. They found that novelty activates our brain’s dopamine pathways, which then creates rich, detailed memories that anchor our perception of time. This makes the experience feel slower and more expansive. Conversely, as we age and settle into regular routines, having fewer new experiences means creating fewer memory landmarks—which causes our sense of time to speed up and become a blur.

So, unfortunately, there seems to be a biological reason behind why our perception of time accelerates with age. The good news, however, is there are things we can do to slow it down. Here are a few ideas:

Seek Out Novel Experiences: 

Trying new activities, visiting new places, or learning a new skill keeps your brain engaged and memory-rich. Even small changes, such as taking a different route home or experimenting with a new recipe, can add novelty to your routine. Examples of some of my “savoring summer” activities this year included simple things like stopping for a snow cone, buying fresh flowers, or blowing bubbles. They weren’t complicated—just out of my normal routine.

Spend Time in Nature: 

Picture by Kaye

There is growing evidence that suggests hanging out in nature actually changes how we experience time. Studies show that when people spend time in the great outdoors, they tend to feel like the experience lasted much longer than it actually did. One of my favorite nature activities is to paddle my kayak across a lake, then linger for an hour or so.

Other ideas could be to walk through a park, sit outside to look at the stars, or have your morning coffee in the backyard instead of in the kitchen. Nature is basically a time-bender for your brain.

Embrace Awe:

Think back to being five years old, when days felt endless because every experience was new and unpredictable. It can be helpful to recapture that childlike sense of awe to slow down our everyday lives. Exposure to awe-inspiring sights pauses our internal clock, making moments feel more abundant and allowing us to savor time more deeply. So take time for whatever inspires you—whether it’s an art exhibit, musical performance, spectacular sunset—or any experience that sparks wonder. These moments of awe don’t just lift our spirits, they literally help stretch our sense of time.

Practice Mindfulness: 

Mindfulness simply means the art of paying attention. Focusing on the present moment actually boosts our awareness of passing time and makes it feel like it is slowing down. Try doing a “walking meditation” where you focus awareness on each of your senses as you move. Be mindful of your body, your thoughts, and your place in the world as you carve a path forward, one step at a time. Mindful meditation and deep breathing exercises can help stretch our subjective experience of time, so we feel less rushed and more grounded in the here and now. 

Be Spontaneous: 

As we age, we often settle into comfort and routine, which can be a recipe for time to slip by unnoticed. While routines do support efficiency, weaving in unpredictable or unfamiliar elements can help days feel fresh and expansive. So it’s important to occasionally ditch the schedule and embrace unexpected opportunities that pop up at the last minute. Whenever you try something new that is completely different from your usual routine, you’re basically telling your brain, “Hey, this is important! Save this memory.” It is one strategy that can make life feel fuller and stretch out our sense of time.

Picture by Kaye

I think the most important lesson I learned during my “savoring summer” experiment was that the true measure of time isn’t the clock but, instead, is our memories. It’s the memorable moments, not the minutes, that shape how we experience our days, making each one feel richer and more expansive. Therefore, our experience of time can influence not only how we remember life but also how we live it. Slowing down encourages savoring moments, reducing stress, and fostering deeper connections—all key ingredients for mental and emotional wellness.

So next time you feel like time is flying by, I encourage you to try slowing it down.