How to Slow Down Time
March 24th, 2026
Writer: Tessa Rothman
Editor: Charlie Zien
One of my very first memories begins with hiding under my duvet cover, with a flashlight and my book, long after my mom had put me to bed. My love for reading only flourished from there – going through numerous library cards, trading books with my friends at camp, and sitting on the side at recess just so I could finish a chapter. Some of my books had loose sand in them, left over from all of my beach reads. Some were tattered and torn, abused by my thirst for the fictional world I was entering myself into.
As I grew up and went off to college, I fell into a new routine with new priorities. And, unfortunately, that meant sacrificing reading. I was “too busy” – enthralled by all of the new people I was meeting and the new things I was learning. Nighttime stories turned into scrolling on my phone, which rolled out for hours upon hours.
The scrolling is constant. It’s a source of entertainment, information, and for many, even a hobby. We think that by having constant stimulation, we are consuming information faster and more effectively. But really, the information gets lost among all the other things we learn. We can’t think deeply or form our own thoughts because content is constantly being shoved down our throats. It’s not learning – it's a distraction.
When my family members or childhood friends ask me why I don’t read as much anymore, I always find myself with the same response. “I don’t have time.” But really, that’s not true. Though adding reading to your life may sound counterintuitive, creating more things to do in your already packed life, it actually slows time down. The ability to read and digest the words on the page at your speed, and to interpret the story in a way you want, allows you to connect with and ground yourself. At night, reading is my melatonin. It pulls me away from the constant world of notifications to a new world that I can dictate. I’ve found myself more interested in class discussions by making connections from the content to stories I’ve read. Most importantly, when life feels overwhelming, reading allows me to step into a land where none of my problems exist.
This past month, ever since making the time to read each day, my anxiety has been eased in new and unexpected ways. Just like different internet videos can meet you where you are, I’ve been bouncing between different genres of books based on how I feel. Memories allow me to step into someone else’s life – a reminder that I’m not alone in whatever troubles I’m going through. Fiction provides me an escape, mystery books give me entertainment that is almost harder to put down than TikTok. Each genre meets me where I am, in a way that scrolling never can.
Reading has helped me find my younger self again, whom I’ve been so desperately looking for. I hope that when I look back on these four years of college, I remember more moments, being assisted with the slowing down of time by all of my books.
