As we begin the second month of 2026, I keep hearing the same comment repeatedly: “The days just fly by.” And honestly…they really do. It feels like we blink and suddenly another week—or month—is gone.
So, it makes you wonder: when we become adults, why does time feel like it moves so much faster?
Think back to being a kid. Summers felt endless. Weekends felt long. Waiting for something exciting felt like torture. Now? The workweek blurs together, holidays sneak up on us, and we’re already asking how it’s already February.
One big reason is routine. As adults, many of our days look the same. Wake up, go to work, take care of responsibilities, repeat.
Our brains love novelty—it helps us create memories. When every day feels similar, our minds don’t really “log” them as separate experiences, so time feels like it collapses in on itself.
Another factor is how mentally overloaded most of us are. Adulthood comes with a lot of invisible weight—jobs, finances, family roles, appointments, emails and a never-ending to-do list.
When your mind is constantly juggling everything, you’re not fully present. Time isn’t speeding up—we’re just distracted while it passes.
There’s also the emotional piece. Many of us live in the next moment instead of the current one. What needs to be done? What’s coming up? What did I forget?
Anxiety especially pulls us out of the present and into “what’s next” mode. And when we’re never “here,” the days slip by quietly.
The truth is that time isn’t moving faster—we’re just living on autopilot more often than we realize.
From a mental health standpoint, slowing things down doesn’t mean doing less or adding another task to your list. It’s about being more intentional.
Small things help—putting your phone down during meals, taking a real breath before jumping into the next task, trying something new, even briefly noticing how your body feels in the moment.
If you’ve found yourself saying, “I can’t believe how fast this year is going,” maybe that’s your cue to check in with yourself. Not to judge or criticize—but to notice. Are you present, or just pushing through the days?
Time will keep moving forward. But how we experience it? That’s something we can gently work on. Slowing down doesn’t mean stopping—it just means showing up for the life that’s already happening.
Christina Martinez, LCSW, is the program manager of the Los Banos Clinic of Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, located at 40 W. G. St., Suite C, in Los Banos.
