On Time Flying & Hitting Slo-Mo: What Cats Can Teach Us About Slowing Down
The Strange Feeling of Time Flying By
Is it just me or does it feel like just yesterday it was 2002? I know they say that time is relative, but what does that even mean? Theory of relativity this, Albert Einstein that… All I know is that every year feels like it passes by faster than the last. In 2002, I thought the school year would never end. In 2025, I blinked and it’s almost 2026 already - another grain of sand slipped through the existential bottleneck of life. To each their own, but I’d venture to guess that I’m not alone in wanting to drag my feet in the race to the grave. Somehow, against our intentions, we can look up and realize we’re on track to set a new personal record for fastest lap.
If it feels like the days, weeks, or months are speeding by, what does that mean for you? How do you know it’s happening, and what does it tell you? For me, it feels like a length of mild depression and malaise, a vignette of numbness and banality, the stale crust of a Little Caesar’s pizza. It feels wrong not to acknowledge the privilege in snacking on stale crust in the buffet of Los Angeles, when some have no crust at all. But, since when does succumbing to our personal challenges do any good for any one.
The Modern World and the Acceleration of Time
So, why does time fly so fast? And does the ‘why’ even matter? I’m not sure, but exploring the backdrop of a situation always helps me to find the knots that need untangling. I figure that there is some combination of capitalist groundhog day grind, persisting conditioning from fast-forwarding through pandemic lockdown, and dissociation from our modern surreal reality contributing to the acceleration of time. It’s definitely not a complete picture, but a few things that come to mind.
How to Slow Down Time (or at Least Feel Like It)
How, then, do we hit slo-mo on this bitch? Recently, I’ve taken some pages from the housecat’s playbook:
Bask in the Sun and Notice the Small Things
Bask in the sun awhile, feel the wind through your fur, and look at a bug.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, looking ahead at the future or replaying the past, zooming through the fleeting present moment. Take a moment to stand (nearly) still in a sliver of time. Observe the sensations in your body that come and go, notice the way the light filters through a tree, or pay attention to the actual complexities of the seemingly simple lives of critters all around you.
Change Your Perspective—Literally
Crouch down low, and perch up high.
Many people are creatures of habit. After a while, you may notice taking the same route to and from work, sitting in the same seat in class, or frequenting the same places. Tracing back over well-worn paths repeatedly can make the days feel like they blend together. Consider looking for ways to experience your regular environments differently. Try redecorating your room, use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, miss your turn and take the next street over.
Balance Rest and Play to Beat Burnout
Make time for rest, and make time for play, too.
It’s common knowledge that cats love to nap and humans need rest too. Rest is certainly important, and I encourage everyone to listen to their bodies. Sometimes, however, more rest is not the solution to existential fatigue or capitalist burnout. I made this mistake earlier this year, opting to stay home more often than not, thinking making plans would just deplete me further. Instead of giving me energy and life, this strategy made a sepia world turn grayscale. I lost the plot, stuck in the churn of going to work to pay for an apartment where I could rest so I’d have the energy to go back to work. Something of a circle, so round, so cyclical, a shape with no point.
Find Your “Sauce”: What Makes Life Feel Full
A handful of ‘what is life about’ conversations with friends, family, and coworkers brought me back to the sauce of it all. What is the “sauce”? The sauce is what makes life feel full, what makes grayscale turn sepia turn colorful. It can be feeling connected in relationships, creating art, forming and contributing to your community. My sauce is in experiencing - meeting people, going new places, learning about other cultures, trying different foods. What I needed wasn’t more rest, it was more sauce. Just like cats, we can honor our need for rest and our need for fun.
The Power of Enrichment and Mindful Living
Enrichment, enrichment, enrichment.
If you own a cat, you might be familiar with feline enrichment - regular stimulation that helps stave off boredom, depression, stress, and a myriad of symptoms that can come along with the lack of stimulation. My partner and I constantly try to think up new ways to enrich our cats’ lives - new or rotating toys, implementing obstacles in play, making spaces for hiding, climbing, and exploring, alternating flavors of wet food, luring in the occasional fly for them to chase around. After a while, we began to implement enrichment for each other and ourselves, too. At first jokingly, but now a daily practice, we find new and unique ways to welcome each other home and we call it our enrichment. It can really be anything - think statistically improbable actions from “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.”
Creating a More Enriched (and Slower) Life
If time feels like it’s flying by, we can be intentional about being mindfully present, keeping our eyes peeled for fresh perspectives of our familiar routines, finding our sauce again, and incorporating creative enrichment into our daily lives. We can’t pause or rewind time, but we can slow it down just slightly.
Feeling like time’s speeding up and life’s on autopilot?
Therapy can help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and find your “sauce” again.
Start your therapy journey here →
Featured therapist author:
Logan Kim is a pansexual, non-binary Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. They really enjoy supporting individuals, couples, and families to heal attachment injuries and intergenerational trauma, foster healthier relationships, and reconnect with their bodies, feelings, and authentic selves. Logan is especially passionate about disrupting the cisheteropatriarchy and working with queer and trans folks, exploring issues around identity, relationships, sexuality, and gender. In addition to being excited about therapy, they also find joy existing in nature, watching reality TV, and engaging in creative hobbies, like sewing and watercolor.
GET HELP NOW
If you are interested in therapy with Kindman & Co. and would like to learn more about the services we have to help you, follow these quick & easy steps:
Schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation with our Care Coordinator.
Get matched with the therapist who’s right for you.
Start feeling more supported and fulfilled in your life and relationships!
THERAPY AT KINDMAN & CO.
We are here for your diverse L.A. counseling needs. Our team of therapists provides lgbtqia+ affirmative therapy, couples therapy & premarital counseling, grief & loss counseling, group therapy, and more. We have specialists in trauma, women's issues, depression & anxiety, substance use, mindfulness & embodiment, and support for creatives. For therapists and practice owners, we also provide consultation and supervision services! We look forward to welcoming you for therapy in Highland Park and online.