8 Ways To Slow Life Down

Your life is half over by the age of 23.

What do I mean by that?

Well, you know when you were a kid, summer felt like it went on forever? The prospect of a year in the future seemed so far off it was hard to conceptualize?

And now the days slip by like warm butter–the year starts, and then you’re Christmas shopping. When we’re younger, we have milestones to achieve, things to explore, a whole world of learning before us. We also haven’t experienced much at that point–if you’re four years old, a year is 25% of your life.

If we spread the “you’ve been alive for this long” ratio, then 23 “is” the halfway point, considering how life speeds up more and more in our perception.

And that’s scary to think about! But there are ways to slow time back down again.

1. Make space

The first step is to consider what we spend our time on. Not only our time, but our effort, headspace, physical space, attention, money…

Do you need some more wiggle room in your schedule? Are you overcommitted to things that don’t fulfill you? Do you feel like you spend most of the time that you’re at home cleaning? Is your day full of just managing things?

Make space in your life.

Declutter your schedule. Declutter your digital world. Declutter your home. Declutter your car.

Then stand back and be amazed at how much energy, attention, and time you suddenly have freed up.

How To Declutter Your Home | The Complete Room-by-Room Guide

2. Try something new

One reason childhood stretches out so long is because EVERYTHING is novel. We’re interacting with things and activities and concepts that are brand new to us. That’s exciting! It slows time down because we’re IN the moment, making discoveries.

So learn something new! Read a book in a genre you’ve never tried. Learn a language. Take a class. Try a new art medium. Get outside and teach yourself to identify plants and birds and bugs.

Start discovering again. There’s still SO much we don’t know–we just have to dig a little bit.

3. Practice mindfulness

Our day blows by when we’re constantly distracting ourselves and numbing out. Binge-watching TV, doomscrolling, checking our work email for no real reason, self-medicating with substances… These things might make the current moment feel “easier,” but it’s also how we’re spending our life.

So think about all those hours. Check your screen time report. Try to figure out what you’re running from–often, we’re avoiding our own thoughts.

To slow down time, stop skipping it. Be in the moment. Practice meditation or another mindfulness exercise, ideally every day!

You might try with a simple five minutes of silence in the mornings, a body scan meditation to help you fall asleep, or even learning to pause when you feel overwhelmed and take some deep breaths.

Put your phone away and be in the space around you. Hear the sounds, smell the smells, look around. Make observations. Let yourself be bored.

I promise the days will seem longer.

4. Eat meals without screens

In many cultures, eating is a sacred time. It’s fueling your body. It’s the main function in survival. Cooking can be an art, a ritual, an act of love, a moment of mindfulness.

Here are a few things to try to be more present with your food (that might sound silly, but just trust me):

• Nix the screens and distractions
• Eat with your hands
• Put down your fork between bites
• Notice the textures of your food
• Share a meal with your family or loved ones
• See if you can track the bite moving down your throat and into your stomach

Meals are a regular opportunity to have a mindful, sensory experience that grounds you in the moment, gives your body the peace it needs for the digestion process, and even helps you feel more satiated.

5. Stop and chat

I want you to think back to a time in your childhood where you were playing outside and ran into a new kid. You became friends immediately. You sat somewhere. You chatted about nonsense–and about everything. You wondered. You imagined. You explored the world out loud together.

Now think about the last interaction you had with a stranger. Was it socially pre-scripted? Did you learn anything about them? Did you share anything real about yourself? Did you hurry on to the next thing?

I’m not saying you need to stop someone in their tracks and force them into an intellectual conversation, but there are many opportunities to genuinely connect with people throughout our day.

Instead of sinking into your phone in the waiting room, put it away and have a look around. Is there an elderly woman with nothing to do? Ask her about her day. Learn about her life. Pick up any wisdom that older folks are often so willing to dole out.

People are SO interesting, if only we take the time to allow them to be.

6. Go outside

It’s crazy to me that “being in nature” is considered an activity. We’re animals, and the earth is our home. We’ve built structures to separate us from our natural environment, which is so strange when you think about it!

Being outside has an instant calming effect. Fresh air, sunshine, birdsong, and greenery all have an immediate impact on our nervous system and other bodily functions.

It’s where life lives. So get out of your house, even if it’s just to the yard, and spend some time with the trees.

7. Document it

One great way to slow down the progression of our days is to observe them more closely, through something like journaling. Many people find a great comfort in writing down the thoughts, feelings, and events of the day.

Some people are quicker with it, perhaps only answering these three simple questions:

• How did I feel today?
• Why did I feel that way?
• What can I do tomorrow to support myself?

A moment to reflect, particularly to write things down, forces us to appreciate each day as it passes and consider what we felt, thought, and learned.

8. Single-task

We really love to multitask these days. If we’re doing anything that can double as podcast time (or catching up on Love Island time), then we’re going to do that.

To slow things down, focus on the thing that you’re doing. It might feel boring, or even stressful, when you first start fully plugging into the moment without distractions, but it gives your mind time to process things, ideate, and recover.

It also helps you stop numbing yourself to the moment. Feel the present, and it won’t go by so quickly.

Living a long, happy life is all about intentionality and staying present in the moment. Up next, check out these 13 practical steps to simplify life and boost your happiness!