The 40 Best Quotes About Feeling Stressed Out

If you’re currently feeling stressed, you know that it can feel debilitating. Whether it’s stress at work, relationships, health, finances or just life in general – we all have times in life that can get incredibly stressful. It’s no fun at all.

By reading quotes on the subject of stress, we can really help to verbalise how we’re feeling, help gain perspective over our thoughts and help to relax our mind.

The following collection of quotes will help remind you that others have gone through what you’re going through, and they’ve made it out alright. The concepts of workloads, the way we think, being more organized, setting priorities, relaxing more, worrying less and self care all are key concepts amongst these quotes.

Read these quotes, share them with your friends and let them know that they aren’t alone in their struggle.

Feeling Stressed Quotes

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

can a ‘bit’ of stress be helpful sometimes?

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey

with limited time in each day, the concept of scheduling priorities first is a great reminder.

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

mind blown! Obstacles do come up, but this is a great reminder to deal with them and move on.

“The more prepared I am, the more I’ll be in control, less nervous, less stressed and more focused.” Marilu Henner

being organized and prepared certainly helps to lower the stress levels.

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

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

even if you might not think it in the moment of high stress, the best thing to do sometimes is to take a break!

“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

the mental load is real! Try settling small tasks that you can complete, to boost productivity, enthusiasm and confidence.

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

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

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

“Exercise is really important to me – it’s therapeutic. So if I’m ever feeling tense or stressed or like I’m about to have a meltdown, I’ll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls.” Michelle Obama

“More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate.” Roy T. Bennet

“Today I refuse to stress myself out about things I cannot control or change.” Mel Robbins

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

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

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

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

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

“I never leave anything until the morning. I put my jumpers, scarves, and shoes out the night before. You never know what is going to happen. You don’t want to get stressed.” Mary Berry

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

what is your ‘pie‘? Exercise, a great book, a weekend away, a walk on the beach, an early night?

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

“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” Chinese proverb

“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” Wayne Dyer

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

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

“The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it’s your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking.” Wayne Dyer

“Cleaning is my favorite way to relax. I clear things out and get rid of the stuff I don’t need. When the food pantry and the refrigerator are organized, I feel less stressed.” Jennifer Morrison

“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

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

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

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

“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

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

“When a situation is within your control, take action. When a situation is outside your control, make preparations.” James Clear

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

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow.” Lao Tzu

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

“I’m too grateful to be hateful. I am too blessed to be stressed.” El DeBarge

“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.” Joel Osteen

“Don’t sweat the small stuff – and it’s all small stuff” Richard Carlson

Yes, technically this is a book title, however it also makes a great quote!

Stress happens in life, but hopefully you can see from the above quotes, that a large part of it is our perspective and how we think about the situation we are currently facing. If you’re looking for more inspiring and interesting quotes on the subject of stress, overwhelm and courage, then check out the following posts: