Anchoring the Days
You ever blink and suddenly it’s October and you’re like, wait… how??
It’s kinda wild how time can feel like it’s sprinting past you when life gets too samey. I read something a while back that said people who don’t have many memorable or new experiences end up feeling like time flies by much faster, and it’s because your brain basically has nothing to anchor the memories to. No “landmarks.” Just one big giant blur.
So now I’m kinda obsessed with this idea of stretching time. Filling it with enough good, weird, small-but-real moments that a year actually feels like a year again. Of catching time before it slips away; making it real, tangible, and mine again.
“When you’re looking back, the less rich your representation is, the more it’s going to seem like the time went by quickly. This means that if our days are filled with repetitive routines, they blur together in our memory, making time seem to pass faster.“ source
Last year and this year have felt slower for me in this way. Probably because I’ve actually done stuff. I’ve celebrated birthdays including my sister’s 21st, went on holidays (even if one of them rained the whole week 😂), started learning new things, got back into fitness, tried yoga and digital art, journaling, and now I’m planning yoga classes, social pickleball, and more paddleboarding for next year. I’ve been living, y’know?
How I’m Slowing Down Time
- Journaling, scrapbooking & weeknotes: All things to make memories stick and to be able to look back on them.
- Celebrating even small things: birthdays, milestones, a new coffee place, or even just making a fancy breakfast for no reason.
- Trying new stuff: hobbies, workouts, day trips, anything that breaks the pattern and gives your brain something to dog ear.
- Taking photos again: not just for posting, but also for memory’s sake. Little snapshots of proof that I was there.
- Being present: less doomscrolling, more just… existing in the moment. (Still working on this one lol.)