Blink and the Year’s Over: Tips to Slow Down and Enjoy It

After more than a decade in corporate HR, I can tell you: Q4 might as well be a four-letter word.

It’s that stretch of the year when inboxes overflow, to-do lists double, and calendars fill faster than Pumpkin Spice Lattes empty. The pressure mounts – year-end reviews, planning for next year, finishing “just one more thing” before the holiday breaks kick in.

The rhythm is relentless.

Everywhere you look, people are sprinting – trying to do everything, be everywhere, and cross the invisible finish line of December 31st (or December 24th?) with something that resembles grace...or at the very least, survival.

And then, suddenly, it’s January.

We blink, and another year is gone.

Why the Year Feels Like It’s Speeding Up

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I can’t believe it’s already the holidays,” you’re not alone. There’s a psychological reason time seems to accelerate as the year draws to a close – and it’s not just because the calendar says so.

When we are feeling stressed, over-scheduled, or operating on autopilot without enough rest, the brain shifts into survival mode. Instead of recording experiences as distinct moments, it starts blurring them together.

The more repetitive or chaotic our days become, the less memorable they feel – and time seems to vanish.

Research backs this up, too. Studies show that stress distorts our perception of time, making it feel faster and more fleeting. Chronic busyness does the same. Our brains simply stop noticing the details that make moments meaningful in exchange for its perceived survival.

Add in the extra pressure of the holidays, and it’s no surprise that anxiety spikes. The American Psychological Association reports that nearly 90% of adults experience high levels of stress about the holidays themselves – from financial strain to family dynamics and overcommitment.

Even more concerning, the American Heart Association notes that cardiac events like heart attacks peak during December and January, often linked to increased stress and exhaustion.

In short: our collective year-end hustle is literally breaking – and sometimes stopping – our hearts.

The Cost of Rushing Through Life

We wear busyness like a badge of honor in our society, but it comes at a high cost.

When we rush from meeting to meeting, task to task, season to season, we’re not just losing our sense of time – we’re losing our ability to be present, thoughtful, and human. The very part of our brain responsible for focus and decision-making (the prefrontal cortex) fatigues quickly under this pressure, leaving us struggling with the big-picture or any deep, strategic thinking.

Multitasking – which so many of us rely on to “get it all done” – actually makes things worse. Research from Stanford University found that chronic multitaskers are less productive, more distractible, and slower to switch between tasks. Think your quick Slack response isn't doing much harm? Think again.

It’s the illusion of efficiency at the expense of effectiveness.

So while we might feel like we are doing more, we’re both producing and experiencing less.

What If You Could Slow Down Time?

For those of you already rolling your eyes and thinking, "Cute idea – but I can't afford to slow down!" Here’s the good news: slowing down time isn’t about simply less. It’s about intentionally noticing more.

Mindfulness practices have been shown to literally alter our perception of time by anchoring us back into the present. When we bring full awareness to what we’re doing for even just a few seconds, the brain actually records more detail. More detail equals more memory, and more memory makes time feel fuller and slower.

We become more thoughtful, strategic, and even effective.

In other words, presence expands our experience of time and makes us to feel – in a world of constant distractions – almost super-human.

And that’s something we can all cultivate, even amidst the chaos of Q4.

5 Mindfulness Practices to Slow Down Time

You don’t need to meditate for an hour a day or book a silent retreat to start feeling more grounded. The real keys are consistency and intentionality. So, here are five ways you can begin, even if you only have a few minutes a day to spare.

1. Boxed Breathing (1–2 minutes)

This simple technique – used by athletes, first responders, and the military – is designed to calm your nervous system quickly.

Here’s how it works: Breathe in for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. Hold for four seconds.

That’s one round. Then, you simply repeat the cycle for 1-2 minutes. The best part about this is how easily to can practice: between or during your meetings, as you prepare to start your day, or whenever you feel your stress spiking.

Why it matters: Deep breathing signals safety to the brain, lowering cortisol and slowing your heart rate. It creates a small, powerful reset that helps you return to your day with greater clarity and sense of calm.

2. Mindful Eating (5–10 minutes)

If lunch usually means eating while answering emails or scrolling your phone, try this instead: take just five minutes to eat with no screens and no multitasking.

Notice the texture of your food, the temperature, the flavor. Close your eyes and pay close attention to how it feels to actually chew and swallow.

Why it matters: Mindful eating reconnects you to your senses and slows your nervous system, while also improving digestion. Plus, it’s one of the easiest ways to practice mindfulness during your existing routine – proven to reduce anxiety, boost your mood, and improve cognitive functioning.

3. The Five-Senses Reset (3 minutes)

When your mind feels like a tab explosion of tasks, use your senses to anchor yourself. Take three minutes to voice or write down each of the following:

• One thing you see.

• One thing you hear.

• One thing you feel.

• One thing you smell.

• One thing you taste.

Why it matters: This simple sensory check-in reduces stress and anxiety and improves focus by anchoring you in the present moment. By focusing your attention on each of your senses, it helps manage overwhelming emotions and improves your overall sense of well-being.

4. The Protected Half Hour (30 minutes)

Choose one 30-minute block in your day and block it in your calendar to focus on one thing. Just one.

Silence your notifications and close out of all apps or unnecessary tabs. If you can, try to step away to a private space to avoid further interruptions.

Why it matters: Focused work not only improves quality and creativity, it also restores energy and improves satisfaction. Every time we multitask, the brain has to reset between tasks, which drains energy and shortens attention span. Single-tasking gives your brain a break – and your work the attention it deserves.

5. Reflective Pause (2 minutes)

At the end of your day, take two quiet minutes to ask yourself:

• What is one thing I slowed down to notice today OR what is one thing I appreciated from today?

• How did that moment feel OR why did I appreciate it?

Why it matters: Reflection on moments like this helps signal to the brain that they matter, encouraging it to slow down and notice more of those moments moving forward. When practiced consistently, it also pulls us out of survival mode, reducing anxiety and agitation while boosting our sense of calm.

Final Thoughts

If reading this makes you think, I don’t have time for mindfulness, you’re not alone.

But here’s the truth: mindfulness isn’t something extra to fit in. It’s something you can weave into what you’re already doing.

You can practice boxed breathing between calls. You can close your eyes and truly savor your coffee instead of pulling out your phone. You can pause notifications to give yourself a much-needed (and undoubtedly well-deserved) break.

These moments might seem small, but their impact compounds. Just like constant stress narrows your world, small acts of awareness expand it.

So, while it is true that we can't stop the calendar from turning – before we know it, 2025 will come to a close whether we like it or not – that doesn't mean you can't slow down and make the most of what's left.

One breath, one moment, one mindful pause at a time.