The society we live in moves fast. The changes that we’ve seen happening over the last decade or two have been so rapid, I feel like we can barely keep up. AI is evolving and seemingly taking over every online interaction we have, social media grew from one to endless platforms to keep up with, jobs have become more demanding with higher expectations, more responsibilities, and less time to think about what you’re doing. In our daily lives outside of work, we’re bombarded with one after the next must-see Netflix series, must-try life-changing products, and super easy convenient meals to prepare for our families.

It’s exhausting just writing that paragraph. And that’s exactly how living in hustle mode feels, exhausting, overwhelming, and never-ending.

Over the last five years, I’ve been reflecting a lot about how all this hustling and go-go-go mindset makes me feel. How it impacts my own wellbeing. When Covid hit its peak, and I wasn’t able to get out, eat out, meet friends, and be on the run without thinking, that’s where I really started to notice a change within myself.

The “Why” Behind the Hustle

I’ve always struggled with slowing down because I was raised with the mindset of working hard, showing up every day, and not complaining about it. But what I failed to realize is the “why” behind this.

Why do we slave ourselves in a 9 to 5 for a “stable” income instead of building our own pathway? Why do we push ourselves to keep up with every trend on earth? Why do we want to know everything about everyone online and check all of these social media platforms all the time?

All of these things just feed anxiety into our nervous system.

For years, I felt this anxiety (without even realizing it). I was in my 9 to 5, being good at it, but not really feeling fulfilled (and thinking that it’s normal to feel that way), which made me feel flat. I watched all the latest Netflix productions so that I could “keep up” with everyone, which made me feel stressed to have to watch something all the time. I heavily consumed social media as if it was the world’s most important source of information.

Spoiler alert: it really isn’t that important.

All the while, life was happening right in front of me, and all this hustle and always rushing was just not making me feel like myself. Because the truth is, even as a kid, I enjoyed the things that forced me to slow down. Reading one book after another, drawing just for the fun of it, or dancing and feeling the energy in my body.

Somewhere along the way to adulthood, I lost touch with that part of myself. The part that knew how to be still. The part that found joy in slowness.

When Did We Decide Fast Equals Better?

Here’s what I’ve realized: hustle culture isn’t just about working hard. It’s about this underlying belief that if you’re not constantly doing, achieving, consuming, or optimizing, you’re somehow falling behind. It’s the idea that rest is lazy, that stillness is wasted time, that you always need to be “on.”

But here’s the thing, our bodies and minds weren’t designed to operate at that pace. And when we’re constantly in hustle mode, we miss so much of what makes life actually worth living. You know what I’m talking about. Those moments when you’re powerwalking to your next appointment and you miss the sunset. When you’re gulping your coffee on the go instead of actually tasting it. When you rush from work to yoga, stressing about finding a car park and then trying to rush home after class. The irony of rushing to a yoga class to “relax” isn’t lost on me.

We need more moments of calm, less input from outside ourselves, and more things that remind us to slow down.

My Journey Out of Hustle Mode

Now that I’m growing up and reflect back on how I lived a part of my life, I realize that the hustle can be good for some things, but it shouldn’t dictate everything you do in life.

I feel extremely grateful that I’ve managed to release some of that hustle culture by switching my career path. It was super scary (I’ll share more about this another day), and I know it’s not an option for everyone. Maybe you love your job but still feel caught in the hustle. Maybe you’re a parent juggling a million things. Maybe you’re building something that requires a season of intensity.

I get it. This isn’t about quitting everything and changing your whole life by moving to a farm and raising chickens.

This is about finding moments, small pockets of time throughout your day, where you can release some of the hustle attitude and become a little more mindful. Where you can remind yourself that you don’t have to be productive every single second to be worthy.

Practical Ways to Release Hustle Mode

Here are the things I find super useful to find a break from hustle culture. These aren’t big, dramatic changes. They’re small shifts that have made such a difference in how I move through my days.

Making My Morning Tea

One non-negotiable for me is making my morning green tea (genmaicha is my go-to). I have a designated glass teapot for it, and I never rush to drink it.

I boil the water. I watch the leaves unfurl. I hold the warm cup in my hands. I take the first sip slowly. This five-minute ritual sets the tone for my entire day. It reminds me that I have permission to slow down, that not everything needs to be rushed.

If tea isn’t your thing, find something else. Maybe it’s your morning coffee, your skincare routine, or those first few minutes after you wake up. The point is to claim one small moment as yours, untouched by the demands of hustle culture.

Brushing My Teeth Mindfully

This one might sound strange, but hear me out. I used to rush through brushing my teeth like it was a task to check off. Now, I actively remind myself to release my shoulders down while I brush.

That’s it. That’s the practice.

But by doing this twice a day, I’m training my body to recognize what it feels like to be calm. I’m interrupting the pattern of tension that builds up when we’re constantly rushing. And I’m finding presence in something as simple and mundane as oral hygiene.

No More Social Media After 8pm

This isn’t a hard rule I follow every single night, but I did add an automatic “personal” setting on my phone so that I only receive notifications from a few loved ones after 8pm, and all other apps are quieted.

This small boundary has been huge. It helps resist the temptation to scroll through social media at night when I should be winding down. It protects my evening time, my reading time, my time to just be without input from the outside world.

Social media is designed to keep us scrolling, consuming, comparing. It feeds the hustle mentality by constantly showing us what everyone else is doing, achieving, buying. Taking a break from it, especially before bed, has improved my sleep and my overall sense of peace.

Other Small Shifts to Consider

Here are a few more ideas that might resonate with you:

Walk slower. Literally. Try walking at 50% of your normal pace and notice what you see, hear, and feel.

Eat one meal a day without screens. Taste it. Share it with others. Enjoy it.

Take three deep breaths before checking your phone in the morning. Let your nervous system wake up before the input floods in.

Say no to one thing this week. Practice protecting your time and energy without guilt.

Create a “done” list instead of a to-do list. At the end of the day, write down what you accomplished. You’ll be surprised how much you actually did.

It’s Not All or Nothing

I want to be clear about something: I’m not saying hustle is always bad. There are seasons in life where we need to push, where we’re building something meaningful, where intensity serves us.

But hustle shouldn’t be the default setting for your entire life.

You don’t have to optimize every moment. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. You don’t have to keep up with every trend, watch every show, know everything about everyone. You’re allowed to move slowly. You’re allowed to do less. You’re allowed to choose calm over chaos.

And here’s what I’ve discovered: when you release some of that hustle energy, you don’t fall behind. You actually start to feel more like yourself. You make better decisions. You enjoy your life more. You’re more present with the people you love. You find joy in ordinary moments.

You remember what it felt like to be that kid who loved reading, drawing, dancing, just for the pure pleasure of it.

A Challenge for You

So here’s my challenge: pick one small way you can release hustle mode this week. Just one. Maybe it’s making your morning drink more mindfully. Maybe it’s putting your phone away after 8pm. Maybe it’s giving yourself permission to walk slower.

Try it for a week and see what shifts. Notice how your body feels. Notice what you start to see around you that you’ve been missing.

And then, if you feel like it, add another small shift. And another. Slowly, gently, at your own pace (because that’s the whole point, isn’t it?).

We don’t need to hustle our way into a life worth living. We need to slow down enough to realize we’re already living it.