About 15 years ago, I worked part-time at a university about 6 miles from my home. At first, I drove to work, but found the commute stressful and frustrating with traffic jams and long lines at traffic lights. So I switched to biking to work. It only took a few minutes longer than driving to work because I could maneuver around the traffic jams. Being outside and exercising was great, rather than sitting still in my car.
But the best thing about riding my bike is that it gives me a deeper appreciation of the reality of the journey. I saw so many interesting old houses, beautiful old trees and flower beds that I would never have noticed while driving. I saw turns into quiet roads that I used to pass by. And best of all, I got to spend time looking at the sky, the clouds, the quiet blue spaces between the clouds, and the morning sun shining through them. Every morning I arrived at work feeling energized and fulfilled. I was amazed at how much of the journey I missed while driving, and how much more real it felt to simply ride slowly.
This is a good metaphor for life itself. By living slowly, we experience more of reality because we are more present. Life is also less stressful and more fulfilling. As my book says: adventureIn 2010, I interviewed Gill Hicks, a woman who was seriously injured in a terrorist attack and lost her legs below the knees. Her injuries nearly killed her, but when she recovered, she felt like a different person and living a new life. She saw her disability as a gift because she felt she gained so much from being forced to live slowly. She said, “Living slowly – moving at a slower pace – was a wonderful experience. I could see so much more by just stopping and looking and absorbing.”
Rushing leads to stress and separation, but slowing down naturally brings about mindfulness and connection. When we rush, we are always rushing from the present to the future, but when we live slowly, we are content to stay in the present.
Slow down time
In my new book Time-dilation experience1 I believe that by living slowly and mindfully, we can slow down our experience of time. By being more present, we can absorb more perceptions and take in more experiences, which has the effect of stretching time. This is beautifully summed up by Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the pioneers of the modern mindfulness movement:
If you were truly present in the moment as it unfolded, you would realize that no matter what was happening, each moment is unique and novel and therefore significant. Your experience of time would slow down. You might even find that you step out of your subjective experience of the passage of time entirely as you open to the eternal nature of the present moment. The slower time passes, the more you will feel the presence of time. [becomes] From the perspective of your experience, your life will be “longer” because you will be spending more moments here.2
Practicing meditation may not only help you live mindfully, but also slow down the flow of time. This is backed up by research. In 2013, a group of Romanian students practiced mindfulness meditation for 30 minutes every day for a week. At the end of the week, they watched two short documentary films, five minutes each. They estimated that the length of the films was significantly longer than that of the control group (a group that did not practice meditation). Longer term, in 2014, a group of German researchers interviewed 42 people who had been meditating regularly for many years. Compared to a similar sample of non-meditators, they reported feeling less pressure about time and that time passed more slowly, including over the past week and month. As summarized by one of the researchers, Marc Wittmann, the findings showed that experienced meditators “perceive more time expansion…[L]For the person who lives mindfully, life as a whole flows more slowly and time seems to pass more slowly.”3
Of course, slow movements don’t fit well with the pressures and demands of modern life. But you can have some control over how you respond to situations, especially in your leisure time. You can choose not to rush. You can choose to take it slow when walking, cooking, doing housework, etc.
So today, consciously slow down. Take a moment to turn your attention away from activity and get real about where you are and what you’re doing. You might even find that your days are longer as a result.
References
1. Taylor, S. (2024) The Time Dilation Experience: The Psychology of Time Perception and the Illusion of Linear Time. Watkins Publishing.
2. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Returning to my senses, London, Piatkus.
3. Wittman, M., (2018). Altered states of consciousness, MIT Press.
