225+ Thoughtfully Stress Quotes to Help You Relax

Life can get stressful and sometimes we have to deal with many problems. Famous stress quotes will not only inspire you to manage stress effectively, but also give you a picture of how stress affects our lives and how we can relieve it.

If you’re searching for powerful depression quotes and top loneliness quotes that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of encouraging overthinking quotes, powerful emotion quotes and popular anxiety quotes.

Top 10 Stress Quotes

There are times when we stop, we sit still. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper. James Carroll

More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate. Roy T. Bennett

You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway. Steve Maraboli

If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath. Amit Ray

Breath is the power behind all things…. I breathe in and know that good things will happen. Tao Porchon-Lynch

In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers. Fred Rogers

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. William James

Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. Hermann Hesse

If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person. Lucius Annaeus Seneca

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time. Leonard Bernstein

Best Stress Quotes

When you need some stress relief, peaceful stress quotes can show you what to do about stress so that you can live a healthier, more focused and relaxing life. Also, healing quotes will calm and soothe your mind and soul

It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it. Hans Selye

Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries. Astrid Alauda

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. Sydney J. Harris

Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.

There’s a lot of stress… but once you get in the car, all that goes out the window. Dan Brown

It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials. Bruce Lee

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. Bertrand Russell

Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started. David Allen

Today I refuse to stress myself out about things I cannot control or change.

Problems can be experienced as… a chance for renewal rather than stress. Marilyn Ferguson

In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. Lee Iacocca

Be like a little kid, with no stress, no worries, or a care in the world.

When I’m under stress, I do yoga. It’s when I’m happiest that I have a problem with junk food. Britney Spears

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. Chinese Proverb

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh

There is more to life than increasing its speed. Mahatma Gandhi

An hour of anxiety cannot change my circumstances, but a minute of prayer can alter everything. Al Byrant

Remember, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and all that extra stress is gone.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive–to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. Marcus Aurelius

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. Buddha

Calmness is the cradle of power. Josiah Gilbert Holland

Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it. Kahlil Gibran

Don’t stress yourself with useless people who don’t even deserve to be an issue in your life.

Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response TO what happens. And response is something we can choose. Maureen Killoran

99% of things you worry about never happen.

Simply let experience take place very freely, so that your open heart is suffused with the tenderness of true compassion. Tsoknyi Rinpoche

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment. Marcus Aurelius

Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.

Stress is the trash of modern life we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life. Danzae Pace

Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. God opens millions of flowers every day without forcing their buds. Osho

It’s a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life. Paulo Coelho

Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest.

Trying to be a perfectionist brings increased stress and hinders performance. T. Whitmore

Understand this and be free: we are not in our bodies; our bodies are inside us. Sean A. Mulvihill

Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle. Bill Phillips

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. Ovid

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago. E. Joseph Cossman

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things that you cannot control. M. P. Neary

Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organize your life around it. Brian Tracy

Don’t stress the could haves, if it should have, it would have.

Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive. Ziggy Marley

A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.

I think one of the biggest things that sleep does is help with emotional stress. Joe Zeller

Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea. Mikhail Lermontov

You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin

Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’ Eckhart Tolle

God will never give you anything you can’t handle, don’t stress. Kelly Clarkson

I enjoy an evening stroll. It helps me to reflect and eases stress. Blac Chyna

Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face. Nelson DeMille

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. Elbert Hubbard

Stress spelled backward is desserts. Loretta Laroche

I’ve chosen to treat my life more like a party than something to stress about. Martin Short

Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff. Robert Eliot

Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. John De Paola

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. Lily Tomlin

Take life day by day and be grateful for the little things. Don’t get stressed over what you can’t control.

If you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it. George Burns

Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace. Joan Borysenko

The people in your life should be a source of reducing stress, not causing more of it.

Famous Quotes On Stress

Uplifting quotes about stress will make you feel more relaxed and peaceful. Also, since gratitude can enhance emotional well-being, thank you quotes help you learn how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in your own life.

Over-thinking causes unnecessary stress and worry and tends to blow things out of proportion. Melissa Eshleman

Give your stress wings and let it fly away. Terri Guillemets

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety. Aesop

Stop focusing on how stressed you are an remember how blessed you are.

Laughter helps bring balance to a stressful situation. Kala Stevenson

You can’t always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside. Wayne Dyer

When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened. Winston Churchill

Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way. Douglas Pagels

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. Doug Larson

Stress happens when you try to control your life experiences. Relax and remember the only real control you have is over yourself.

The day she let go of the things that were weighing her down, was the day she began to shine the brightest. Katrina Mayer

If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times. Dean Smith

Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others. Paulo Coelho

In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life—no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it. Lou Holtz

Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. Benjamin Franklin

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. Oprah Winfrey

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. Spanish proverb

Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff. Robert Eliot

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. James Allen

Stress is the inability to tell the difference between what is happening and what you think is happening.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress. Viggo Mortensen

In a year you’ll barely remember why you felt so stressed, so why stress about it now? Unknown

We can boost our immune systems by strengthening our social networks and decreasing stress. Jane McGonigal

Stress can actually help you focus better and can be positive. Having small amounts of stress can stimulate you to think. Being able to manage your stress is key. Frank Long

… some stress is necessary in our lives when we want to stimulate creativity, or to promote learning. Christian J. Borg

When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events, the stress in our life becomes manageable. Greg Anderson

God give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, the courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Reinhold Niebuhr

Each moment of worry, anxiety or stress represents lack of faith in miracles, for they never cease. T.F. Hodge

Sometimes we can focus so much on nothing that we make it a big something of nothing. Ricky Maye

Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life. Marilu Henner

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature. Socrates

Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Natalie Goldberg

If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Mary Engelbreit

Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind. Aristotle

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. Mother Teresa

Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it. Boethius

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster, one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. Chinese proverb

Gratitude can reduce your stress and anxiety. Bree Miller

Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is. The only problem in your life is your mind’s resistance to life as it unfolds. Dan Millman

Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow but only empties today of its strengths. Charles H. Spurgeon

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius

Even as fire finds peace in its resting place without fuel, when thoughts become silence the soul finds peace in its own source. When the mind is silent, then it can enter into a world which is far beyond the mind. This is wisdom, and this is liberation. The Upanishads

Loafing needs no explanation and is its own excuse. Christopher Morley

Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it. Jane Wagner

Stress is an admission of weakness, a cry of defeat to the world. Carrie Latet

I’ve decided to be happy because it is good for my health. Voltaire

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy. Ralph Blum

Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.? Richard Carlson

Pressure and stress are the common cold of the psyche. Andrew Denton

It is nice finding that place where you can just go and relax. Moises Arias

Stress is like spice in the right proportion it enhances the flavor of a dish. Too little produces a bland, dull meal; too much may choke you. Donald Tubesing

No good comes from hurrying. Yiddish Proverb

It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. Robert W. Service

Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. William Burroughs

Much of the stress people encounter is derived from dishonesty. People first lie to themselves and then to others. David DeNotaris

Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health. Dalai Lama

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths. Etty Hillesum

When you feel the need to hurry, remember that everything in life is a choice. Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be. Eckhart Tolle

Make jokes. No stress. Love. Live life. Proceed. Progress. Lil Wayne

Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort. Jane Austen

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax. Mark Black

Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breath and have faith that everything will work out for the best.

A good way to overcome stress is to help others out of theirs. Dada J. P. Vaswani

The major cause of stress is the inability of people to discover their real nature. Discover your gifts, follow them and you will never feel stressed.

Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together. Chris Bradford

An ignorant state, stress is. Yoda

We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie. David Mamet

We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it. John Newton

You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens. Mandy Hale

Our stresses, anxieties, pains, and problems arise because we do not see the world, others, or even ourselves as worthy of love. Prem Prakash

Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.

The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about these circumstances. Andrew Bernstein

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you are stressed on mind…to pour it out, is the behavior, most kind! Sujit Lalwani

There are thousands of causes for stress, and one antidote to stress is self-expression. That’s what happens to me every day. My thoughts get off my chest, down my sleeves and onto my pad. Garson Kanin

God doesn’t give us what we can handle. God helps us handle what we are given.

Where there is a lack of rest, there is an abundance of stress. Lysa TerKeurst

Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering. Winnie the Pooh

Everyone is struggling under stress and fear. Only with right attitude we can avoid regrets. Kishore Bansal

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. John Lubbock

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…Including you. Anne Lamott

If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days. Kris Carr

The human body can be placed under huge stresses before death will result. Steven Magee

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Peter Marshall

Stress is the gap between our expectation and reality. The bigger the gap, the more stress, so, expect nothing and just be.

If your teeth are clenched and your fists are clenched, your lifespan is probably clenched. Terri Guillemets

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So, relax. Bryant McGill

The stresses and strains of life mould us into our mature selves. The key to life is to accept the wisdom of our later years while maintaining our youthful enthusiasm and curiosity for the world. Stewart Stafford

Inspiring Stress Quotes

Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction. Chelsea Erieau

Mental health awareness doesn’t mean fighting stress, anxiety, depression and other everyday mental health issues, rather it means consciously modulating the habits that intensify those issues. Once you are in control of your habits, instead of checking your habits, you would automatically be in a much better shape, both mentally and physically. Abhijit Naskar

My key to dealing with stress is simple: just stay cool and stay focused. Ashton Eaton

To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life. Jill Botte Taylor

Times of stress are also times that are signals for growth, and if we use adversity properly, we can grow through adversity. Abraham Twerski

There is a tonic strength, in the hour of sorrow and affliction, in escaping from the world and society and getting back to the simple duties and interests we have slighted and forgotten. Our world grows smaller, but it grows dearer and greater. Simple things have a new charm for us, and we suddenly realize that we have been renouncing all that is greatest and best, in our pursuit of some phantom. William George Jordan

There is no such thing as a stress-free life. No evidence has ever been presented which suggests that a stress-free life can ever be achieved. Stress can be managed, relieved and lessened, but never eliminated. Gudjon Bergmann

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein

Don’t believe every worried thought you have. Worried thoughts are notoriously inaccurate. Renee Jain

These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb. Najwa Zebian

In times of life crisis, whether wildfires or smoldering stress, the first thing I do is go back to basics … am I eating right, am I getting enough sleep, am I getting some physical and mental exercise every day? Edward Albert

No beating yourself up. That’s not allowed. Be patient with yourself. It took you years to form the bad habits of thought that you no longer want. It will take a little time to form new and better ones. But I promise you this: Even a slight move in this direction will bring you some peace. The more effort you apply to it, the faster you’ll find your bliss, but you’ll experience rewards immediately. Holly Mosier

There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full. Henry Kissinger

You can do anything but not everything. David Allen

Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing something in spite of fear.

Stress is largely self-inflicted, so the ability to manage stress more effectively comes from managing oneself. Michael Hetherington

Stress can result in anxiety if handled poorly, or achievement if handled well. Instead of thinking about your worries as problems, think of them as challenges – and if possible, as opportunities. Chelsea Erieau

Tension is a habit. Relaxing is a habit. Bad habits can be broken, good habits formed. William James

The next time you are tempted to get anxious or upset about something – especially something in the past or the future – think about what you are doing and turn your mind to what is going on today. Joyce Meyers

I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve. Montesquieu

Relax. No one else knows what they’re doing either. Ricky Gervais

What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain. Maya Angelou

You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin Luther King

It’s a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life. Paulo Coelho

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. Leo F. Buscaglia

I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear. Steve Maraboli

Remember that stress doesn’t come from what’s going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what’s going on in your life. Andrew Bernstein

If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved then worrying will do you no good. Shantideva

If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good. Buddha

People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. George Bernard Shaw

Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax. Matt Haig

That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent. Chinese Proverb

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. Hans Selye

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. Henry Ward Beecher

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every once in a while, do you just like to take your time with what you’re doing? Fred Rogers

When you have a moment, just listen to the beauty of silence. It has so much to say. Armin Ganguly

Positive Stress Quotes

Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. Brené Brown

When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. Jean Shinoda Bolen

90% of what you’re stressing about right now won’t even matter a year from now. Take a deep breath. Mel Robbins

There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself. Brian Andreas

We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control? Epictetus

If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. Dalai Lama

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Eckhart Tolle

Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel. Eleanor Brownn

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. Edward Stanley

If you feel lost… sit down, close your eyes, breathe, put your hands on your heart, repeat forever. Courtney Carver

Self-care is so much more than a beauty regimen or an external thing you do. It has to start within your heart to know what you need to navigate your life. A pedicure doesn’t last, but meditating every day does. Carrie-Anne Moss

Don’t spin your wheels trying to get everything done. Focus on getting the right things done instead. Greg McKeown

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. Jack Kornfield

The high value put upon every minute of time, the idea of hurry-hurry as the most important objective of living, is unquestionably the most dangerous enemy of joy. Hermann Hesse

Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can. Louisa May Alcott

To be a good parent, you need to take care of yourself so that you can have the physical and emotional energy to take care of your family. Michelle Obama

Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don’t try to figure anything out. Don’t try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest. Tilopa

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Dolly Parton

You may have a million desires to be in other places, doing other things, but you are not there, you are here. Zen proverb

There are two medicines for all ills: time and silence. Alexander Dumas

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. Maya Angelou

When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgement called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving. Kim McMillen

When you feel overwhelmed, start eliminating all the non-essential things from your life. Clarity brings calm. Darius Foroux

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it. George Burns

A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness. Albert Einstein

We get such a kick out of looking forward to pleasures and rushing ahead to meet them that we can’t slow down to enjoy them when they come. Alan Watts

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Arnold Schwarzenegger

This too shall pass. Persian Proverb

Some Facts About Stress