How lockdown skewed our sense of time

When everyone’s homebound during the pandemic, a strange thing happened: time either crept like molasses or raced like a bullet. Sarah would wake at 7 a.m., doomscroll headlines, and by 11 felt she’d lived a lifetime of worry. Then she’d binge a show and gasp that only an hour had passed. That contrast puzzled her until she learned that our sense of time depends on mental novelty and stress.

Psychologists explain that when our brain encounters repeated, predictable routines, it stops creating new memories for each moment, making hours feel like minutes. Under stress or boredom, though, even a short span can feel interminable. This is why prison camp survivors reported a day stretching longer than a week.

By inserting small breaks—like pausing every hour to stand and stretch—you force your brain to note a change, anchoring time more accurately. This simple hack, rooted in cognitive science, can help you reclaim a normal rhythm even in lockdown or back-to-back schedules.

You’ve logged distorted days and spotted which activities warp your clock. Now set an hourly reminder to pause and reset your mind. Stand, stretch, or look out the window. These tiny anchors help you mark time more faithfully and keep your days feeling balanced. Start with your next hour.