982 – Naturally Talking About Stress and Being Busy

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Seems like these days a lot of folks are busy, and even stressed. How about you? Have you ever wanted to describe your situation or feeling with something more conversational than “I’m very busy,” or “I’m stressed.” I’m glad you said yes. In fact, native English speakers usually have a few other ways to talk about stress and being busy that sound more natural and more conversational. We often explain why we’re busy, or we soften what we say so we don’t sound dramatic. And that’s what I want to help you with today – talking about stress and being busy naturally in English.

FAQ
Question: What are some natural, native ways to talk about being busy or stressed?
Answer: We use busy for neutral situations. We usually soften the words busy and stress with phrases like a bit busy or pretty stressed. We say I have a lot on my plate when we’re dealing with many responsibilities. We use under a lot of pressure when there are expectations about us. And we use swamped or slammed for short periods when there’s just too much to do.