Time Can’t Be Rushed: Learning to Live in the Present

Have you ever had days when you wish time would slow down?Other days when you wish it would move faster?Or better yet, days you wish you could skip entirely?

If you’ve felt any of this, you’ve likely come to the same realization I have: time cannot be rushed, stopped, or skipped. Time moves at its own pace, regardless of how we feel about it.

So why does time feel so different depending on the day?

There are many possible explanations, but I propose this one: awareness.

When things feel good, when we are enjoying ourselves, we stay in the moment. We are present. We are actively usingtime. We’re not watching the clock because we’re living inside the experience.

But when we’re uncomfortable, bored, overwhelmed, or emotionally drained, we resist the present. We don’t like what we’re feeling, so instead of using time, we try to escape it. We retreat into the past, searching for reasons why this is happening, or we project ourselves into the future, trying to predict outcomes and mentally “live ahead.” In doing so, we make the now disappear.

When I reflect on this, I have to be honest: the hardest days are the ones I want to rush through, the days I just want to be over. Those are the days that feel wasted. Days that weren’t used intentionally and can never be reclaimed.

I call them “zombie days.”

You’re technically alive. Heart beating. Eyes open. Maybe even answering emails. But internally? Nothing. Just roaming from task to task, fueled by caffeine and mild existential dread. You’re not sad enough to cry, not happy enough to care, just… existing. A highly functional, socially acceptable zombie.

And here’s the rude part: those days still count. Time doesn’t pause out of sympathy. It doesn’t say, “Oh, you’re overwhelmed? Let me save this day for later.” Nope. It moves on, unapologetically, while you shuffle through it like you’ll get a redo. Spoiler alert, you won’t.

So here’s my reminder to myself, and maybe to you too: Don’t be a zombie.

Embrace each day the best way you can, even the uncomfortable ones. The future is not guaranteed. The past is gone. The present moment is all we truly have, and it’s where change, meaning, and growth become possible.