Gladly! The way I do it is when I really want to appreciate something, I start noticing small details and take them in both in terms of sensory impressions but also mentally.

I started doing this when I was getting my degree because I really loved my classmates and I loved my school and the type of work I was training for in the future I didn’t want to have any regrets later on because I knew that I wouldn’t have this level of freedom and fun again.

I started saying yes to a bunch of things, going to parties and pubs despite hating both drinking and partying. It just felt different and right with these people. It was fun and it was safe. I joined the student council which I had never done before. I went to talks and volunteered for a bunch of stuff that the school arranged for people who wanted to get into the school or were just visiting. I cleaned up after parties and made other cleaning schedules for students to keep the shared kitchens clean. I worked out a lot, went on daily walks, I read more books and took on new hobbies like keeping plants. I went on picnics with people I barely knew just to see how they enjoyed their freetime. I just kept saying yes to doing things I would otherwise never do and I spent time taking in the now when it was happening. Appreciate the small things everyday. Took notes and did sketches in my sketchbook if the day had been noteworthy. It gradually started slowing down my brain when I was happy and content until it became second nature that when I’m happy and excited about something, time slows down for me.

With days that I just want over with, I didn’t really do anything there. I guess, time is technically normal when I’m not trying to appreciate it, and it goes at normal speed. It just feels super fast because of how I trained myself to enjoy the good moments. I guess I space out a bit more when I am bored. I suppose that helps too.

There’s no scientific backing to any of this. I just started doing it because I didn’t want to be one of those people who look back at their life and regrets that they didn’t appreciate the good times when they had them.

It also worked. I have no regrets and I don’t long for those student days despite them being a lot more fun and lively than my current life. I got everything out of it that I wanted and the few things I never got to do (DJ’ing a party among other things) are things that i can live without.

I hope any of this makes sense to you and that it can help you in some way. 🤗