Are You in Sync With Your Inner Time?

3 min read

I used to be a slave to the clock. Mornings were a blur of alarms, coffee, and to-do lists. Evenings were a countdown to bedtime, filled with a sense of urgency. But as I moved past the age of 50, I began to notice a shift in my relationship with time.

It wasn’t just about the number of years I’ve lived or the silver strands that have made their way into my hair. It was something deeper, more profound—a subtle but undeniable change in how I perceived and experienced time.

In our younger years, life often feels like a race against the clock. We’re constantly chasing deadlines, juggling work and family, and trying to squeeze every last drop out of the day. The world around us sets a relentless pace, and we do our best to keep up. But as we grow older, many of us start to question whether the external clock—the one ticking away on our wrists or flashing on our phones—truly reflects the rhythm of our lives.

This realization hit me one sunny afternoon as I sat in my auntie’s garden, sipping tea and watching the birds flutter around. For the first time in years, I wasn’t thinking about what I needed to do next. I wasn’t planning, scheduling, or worrying about time slipping away. I was simply being. And it struck me that this—this quiet, unhurried moment—was what I had been missing. I was finally in sync with my inner time, a concept that had been foreign to me for most of my life.

It’s what psychologists often refer to as “inner time” a subjective experience of time that is influenced by our emotions, memories, and perceptions. Another way of experiencing the passage of time.

Inner time is the rhythm that our bodies and minds naturally follow when we’re not trying to meet external demands. It’s the pace at which we move when we’re truly listening to ourselves when we honour our need for rest, reflection, and genuine connection and I believe that for women over 50, this inner clock often starts to assert itself more strongly, as if it’s gently reminding us that we’ve earned the right to live more authentically and less frantically.

However, aligning with our inner time is easier said than done. Society’s expectations don’t just disappear once we hit a certain age. In fact, the pressure to remain relevant, productive, and “on top of things” can feel even more intense as we age. We’re often told that slowing down is akin to giving up and that to age boldly or, even better, playfully, we must continue to push ourselves as we did in our younger years.

Yet, I’ve come to believe that ageing well has less to do with maintaining the pace of our youth and more to do with embracing the wisdom that comes with experience. And part of that wisdom is recognizing when to step off the treadmill of external time and into the flow of our inner clock.

Of course, this isn’t a call to abandon all responsibilities or retreat from the world. It’s about finding a balance that works for us individually. For me, that balance means prioritizing my well-being over a packed schedule. It means taking the time to enjoy a leisurely walk, even if it means pushing back less urgent tasks. It means saying “no” to things that don’t truly serve me, even if it disappoints others.

As women over 50, we’ve spent decades mastering the art of juggling. But now, it’s time to master the art of letting go—of trusting that we don’t have to prove ourselves to anyone, including ourselves. By listening to our inner time, we can cultivate a life that’s not just busy but fulfilling. A life that honours who we are now, not who we were expected to be.

So, if you find yourself feeling out of sync, overwhelmed, or just plain tired, I encourage you to take a step back and ask yourself: “Am I living according to my inner time, or am I still trying to keep up with the clock society has set for me?” The answer might surprise you. And it might just lead you to a new, more peaceful way of being—one that allows you to savour the beauty of life at your own pace.

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