Let me share what I’ve learned about the magic of time perception and how it might just change the way you see your own story
Today is the last day of the last week of 2024. I get sentimental at the end of the year. Ok, I actually am sentimental throughout the year. These days after Christmas until the famous New Year’s Eve do feel like a bit of blur, usually. But not this year.
This year, now I don’t know if it is because of having stopped drinking alcohol or because I’ve started to shift my mindset about the flow of time.
Time is a funny thing. Let alone the orientation of it.
I’ve learned a lot about time this year, and how we perceive it. Our perception of time and our perception of everything– our relationships, our interactions with others, our thoughts, is all what actually shapes our reality.
And a big part of our reality is how we understand and perceive the flow of time.
I used to think that Time and the passing of it was linear – past, present, future.
Some of the work that I’ve been doing this year has been to break down my concept of time.
But really Time, and how we perceive the past and future has all to do with where we position ourselves in our story. How we perceive ourselves as a character in the great story that is our life.
Let me explain…
Time perception is a deeply subjective experience, influenced by various factors including our emotions, attention (intentionality), and individual differences.
Recent research (that I’ve found incredibly helpful) has delved into how our internal states and external environments shape our sense of time’s passage.
Studies have shown that our emotions can significantly alter time perception. I’d like to think that how we perceive and allow our emotions to exist play a big role in our perception of time as well…
For instance, heightened states of arousal (Emotional arousal simply means experiencing heightened emotions like excitement, anger, fear, or joy, not just sexual feelings, but any intense emotional state), can make time seem to slow down, while monotonous or unengaging activities may lead to a sense of time dragging.
We’ve all heard the quote ‘Time flies when we’re having fun…’
Our perception of time is not a fixed linear experience but is continually shaped by our psychological state. (https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-fluidity-of-time)
Additionally, the concept of the Möbius strip (a surface with only one side and one edge) has been metaphorically linked to the nonlinear nature of time perception. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-timeless-journey-of-the-moebius-strip)
I’ll link a video below should you want to see it in action.
This analogy illustrates how time can feel continuous and looping, challenging the traditional linear perspective.
I can hear you thinking, but Sam what does this have to do with anything?
How we perceive time IS EVERYTHING.
It’s how we organize our thoughts, it’s how we decide what to do when things are not going our way, it’s how we build our careers, it’s how we see ourselves as the villain or the hero of our story.
How we perceive time is how we learn to be in the present moment.
It’s how we can let go of the pain in our past, how we can have faith in our future.
Understanding these dynamics offers valuable insights into human cognition and behaviour, emphasising the importance of considering unique individual differences in time perception.
We all have our own unique perception of time. This is one of the main points I like to incorporate into managing my expectations and to let go of (to the best of my capabilities) judging others.
By acknowledging the fluidity of time perception, we can better appreciate the complexities of human experience and the factors that influence our daily lives.
What we criticize or judge in others often reflects what we struggle to accept within ourselves.
When we recognize that everyone operates on their own timeline, shaped by their unique capacity to feel and grow, we open the door to appreciating others’ journeys as equally significant and meaningful as our own.
We often view time as a straight path, past behind us, future ahead.
But what if it’s more like a Möbius strip? A continuous loop where past, present, and future intertwine, influenced by how we perceive and experience each moment.
Just like the Möbius strip, life’s twists and turns shape our understanding of ourselves and our story.
When we judge the past or fear the future, we’re often missing the bigger picture: that it’s all interconnected, part of the same surface, shaped by how we process our feelings.
There is no true separation between our journey and someone else’s.
We are all navigating the same ocean that is our perception of time.
Appreciate this interconnectedness, step into the present moment and embrace the beauty of each person’s unique flow through life.
For we all have something to bring to the table.
Much love, and as promised here is that video to give you a visual representation of what a Möbius strip looks like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqLnKxGhsDs
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