Mastering Mindfulness: Transforming Time Perception

(mouse clicking) (gentle music) Headspace Studios. (birds chirping) (soft music) Hi, friends. It's Rosie here. Welcome to "Radio Headspace" and to Monday. As a seasoned mindfulness teacher, I've noticed how being present can change our perception of time and create a sense of spaciousness in our daily lives. There was actually a period where I felt like time was perpetually slipping through my fingers, and each day felt like a chaotic blur of events. Sound familiar? This was when I was an executive assistant with a full plate of tasks to further someone else's career and vision. I felt rushed, hurried, and overwhelmed. A turning point arrived when I was gasping for some rest amidst my ceaseless whirlwind of responsibilities. Luckily, I was also aware of the importance of reshaping my perception of time through mindfulness. I developed tools to slow down during the day and take stock of what I was feeling. So on that note, today, we'll dive into the transformative journey of mindfulness and how it has the power to alter our perception of time, and we'll uncover how dwelling in the present moment can make us feel like we have abundant time, even amidst the busiest days. To illustrate this, let me share a story of my mindfulness student Danny. Danny was a corporate worker always on the go, juggling many responsibilities at work and home. He always felt short on time, leading to chronic stress and fatigue. After introducing mindfulness into his life, he began to experience a shift. His perception of time altered dramatically. He became more present in each task, leading to increased efficiency and a newfound sense of spaciousness in his day. He did this by hiding his clock on his computer. He had a ton of alarms to take breaks, to do errands, to go to bed, so he did a sort of alarm detox, only keeping the ones that were absolutely necessary. We also changed the language around time for him. Instead of saying, "I have no time," he said, "Time moves at the pace it moves." Danny also began to understand the profound truth that time is indeed a construct. Just think about what it's like to watch the clock, waiting for the hour to pass, and time seems to stand still. Or those moments when you're so engrossed in an engaging conversation with friends or immersed in a thrilling project. And hours just seem to fly by, revealing our innate capacity to influence our perception of time. This flexibility is not just a trick our minds play on us. Rather, it shows us that we can be present no matter what our day brings. For instance, Danny started to see that the same 24 hour day could feel very different based on his mindfulness and presence. He still had the same amount of hours, but his perception of those hours and how he could utilize them had transformed. With all this said, how can you bring more mindfulness into your...