Feeling rushed? With these 7 tips, you can do something about it.

Everyone has experienced feeling rushed or pressured at some point. That's just part of life. But if you feel rushed too often, it's time to take action. In this article, we share 7 tips.

What is a rushed feeling?

With a "rushed feeling" comes a sense of restlessness, tension, stress, nervousness, and the feeling that you have too much to do in too little time.

We all have this feeling at times. It will go away on its own and can't really do any harm. A bit of stress is just part of life.

However, if you have this rushed feeling too often and it becomes a problem, it's time to do something about it. This can lead to chronic stress with all its physical and mental consequences.

Tips to combat a rushed feeling

1. Reduce caffeine

Caffeine is present in many beverages, including coffee, different types of tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks. Caffeine can temporarily provide an energy boost by blocking feelings of fatigue (1). However, caffeine also temporarily increases stress hormones (such as cortisol). In studies (2), participants had twice as many stress hormones measured after consuming caffeine. This can lead to a rushed feeling.

If you consume a lot of caffeine-containing drinks and often experience a rushed feeling, try reducing your intake and see if you still experience the rushed feeling.

5. Stop multitasking

The term multitasking seems like a great way to do more in less time. After all, you're doing multiple tasks at once! But more and more studies show that multitasking actually leads to lower productivity (4).

Moreover, constantly switching between different tasks can increase our stress levels (5). Do you notice this is the case for you? Then go for single-tasking and don't start the next task until the first one is done.

6. Reduce screen time

On average, we spend about 2.5 hours a day looking at the screen of our smartphone. On social media, we constantly see other people's lives passing by. Because mostly successes, beautiful trips, and other positive events are shared, it seems like everyone is leading a great life. Except you... At least, that's what it seems like. This can cause stress and a feeling of being rushed because you feel like you're not keeping up. And you're already doing so much!

The solution is actually quite simple: spend less time on your smartphone and less time on social media. An added benefit is that you'll have more time for your to-do's!

Here are some practical tips to help you achieve this:

• Block certain websites or apps using Screen Time (iOS) or Digital Wellbeing (Android).
• Remove social media apps from your phone. Can't do without them? Then only check them occasionally on your computer. Soon you'll realize you're not missing anything.
• Put your phone face down during other activities (remember, single-tasking?).
• Keep your phone in another room when you go to bed.
• Turn off notifications from apps that take up a lot of time.

7. Distract yourself with sports

Sometimes you just can't shake that feeling of being rushed. A good way to clear your mind and reduce stress is by exercising (7). Go for a run, hit a ball, or work hard at the gym. Moreover, exercising will give you more energy!