The COVID-19 pandemic distorted the passage of time for many people. Studies found that people who were older and socially isolated felt a slower sense of time. In 2020 I was 62/63 and like the rest of the world, socially isolated. The days, weeks, and months ran together. I looked forward to Thursdays because that was the day the trash truck came around to pick up our neighborhood's garbage. It was a concrete reminder of what day it was. For me, 2020 moved so slow.
Time moves slowly when you’re bored or watching the clock and time moves fast when you’re absorbed in an enjoyable activity like playing sports or music, or when you’re busy. But here's a paradox. When your time is filled with new and interesting experiences, the hours whiz by. In memory, it may feel much longer than time spent doing routine things. You might remember every day of a special vacation last year, but not remember anything about an ordinary week that followed.
Filling your days with meaningful activities is good for overall health and well-being. Finding a hobby, class or volunteer activity will stretch out your perception of time and help buffer against loneliness and isolation.
This was one of those posts where I didn't know where it would take me. The passage of time is evident, 2024 is 2/3 over and the Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice goodies are out. A quick reflection on the pandemic made its way to time slow time passage and ideas to fill your days. And then I forgot to set the posting time so now it's late and maybe that's good!
Happy September 1. Today is my son and daughter-in-law's 6th anniversary. Where does the time go?!?
It seems like I have been measuring things by the pandemic these days. When I try to recall when something happened, I'm always thinking was that before the pandemic or after. That gives me a better idea of how long ago something happened. That works most of the time. Other times, I remember something like it was yesterday and it happened 10 or more years ago.
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