30 quotes about stress and anxiety to help bring calm

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
·4 min read

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest taken between two deep breaths." It's easy to get lost in the blur of life's fast pace. You may feel weighed down by work, relationships or any of the other common sources of anxiety or stress.

In those moments, you might turn to words of encouragement to lift your spirit and rethink your mindset. Quotes can remind us to slow down, change our outlook and persevere, even in the face of uncertainty and adversity.

Here's a list of quotes that could ease your worries and give you a boost.

Calming quotes

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

  • "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." – Maya Angelou, "Letter to My Daughter"

  • "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength." – Corrie Ten Boom, "Clippings from My Notebook"

  • "It is difficult to live in and enjoy the moment when you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future. You cannot change your past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about your future." – Roy T. Bennett, "The Light in the Heart"

  • "Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it." – Dorothy M. Neddermeyer

  • "Calmness is the cradle of power." – Josiah Gilbert Holland

  • "No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear." – Greg Kincaid

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

  • "One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things that you cannot control." – M.P. Neary, "Free Your Mind"

  • "You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside." – Wayne W. Dyer

  • "Breathe, darling. This is just a chapter. It's not your whole story." – S.C. Lourie

  • "Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe." – Mark Twain

  • "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

  • "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday." – Dale Carnegie

  • "Present fears are less than horrible imaginings." – William Shakespeare, "Macbeth"

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

  • "Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today's peace." – Randy Armstrong

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

  • "Worrying is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere." – Glenn Turner

  • "You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you." – Dan Millman

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

  • "A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work." – John Lubbock, "The Use Of Life"

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

  • "Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is." – Ernest Hemingway, "The Old Man and the Sea"

  • "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." – Anne Lamott

  • "The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude." – Dennis S. Brown

  • "This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been." – Glennon Doyle, "Untamed"

  • "Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future." – Deepak Chopra

  • "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Looking for quotes to share? Check out our other lists

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 30 calm quotes to bring peace, inspiration in the face of anxiety

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