Feeling overwhelmed and looking for some peace of mind? These inspirational stress quotes will help you manage tough moments with strength and calm.
Stress is something we all experience — whether it’s from work, relationships, finances, or just the everyday hustle. It can take a toll on our mental and physical health if left unchecked. But the way we respond to stress can make all the difference.
This handpicked collection of stress relief quotes and sayings is here to remind you that you’re not alone — and that with the right mindset, patience, and self-care, you can handle anything life throws at you. Let these words bring you comfort, motivation, and a little more clarity when your mind feels heavy.
These motivational quotes about stress will help us deal with any situation with a positive mindset and be stress free.
Top 10 Stress Quotes And Sayings
- “You can do anything, but not everything.” — David Allen
- “Stress is caused by your thoughts, not the situation.” — Unknown
- “Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.” — Bill Phillips
- “If you’re stressing over happiness, you’re doing it wrong!” — Shannon L. Alder
- “Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it.” — Lily Tomlin
- “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” — Kelly Clarkson
- “These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” — Najwa Zebian
- “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” — Brian Tracy
- “It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.” — Bruce Lee
- “Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax.” — Bryant McGill
Quotes About Life Stress
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” — Hans Selye
- “Tension is a habit. Relaxing is a habit. Bad habits can be broken, good habits formed.” —William James
- “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” — Anonymous
- “If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.” — Dean Smith
- “Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.” — Kahlil Gibran
- “Don’t believe every worried thought you have. Worried thoughts are notoriously inaccurate.” — Renee Jain
- “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.” — Chelsea Erieau
- “One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things that you cannot control.” — M. P. Neary
- “In a year you’ll barely remember why you felt so stressed, so why stress about it now?” — Unknown
- “Stress and unhappiness come not from situations, but how you respond to situations.” — Brian Tracy
- “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.” — Robert Eliot
- “Today I refuse to stress myself out about things I cannot control or change.” — Anonymous
- “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
- “Times of stress are also times that are signals for growth, and if we use adversity properly, we can grow through adversity.” — Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski
- “When you find yourself stressed, ask yourself one question: Will this matter in 5 years from now? If yes, then do something about the situation. If no, then let it go.” — Catherine Pulsifer
- “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” — Steve Maraboli
- “Worrying is a waste of time; it changes nothing. It will only create stress, which can have major effects on your health.” — Robert Washington
- “Stress can destroy much more than just our physical health. Too often, it eats away at our hope, belief, and faith.” — Charles F. Glassman
Quotes About Stressed Out
- “You won’t stress over it unless you care.” — Joyce Rachelle
- “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” — Sydney J. Harris
- “If you think too far ahead, then it’ll just stress you out.” — Laurie Hernandez
- “Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” — Jane Wagner
- “I think one of the biggest things that sleep does is help with emotional stress.” — Joe Zeller
- “Trying to be a perfectionist brings increased stress and hinders performance.” — T. Whitmore
- “Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness?” — Richard Carlson
- “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” —Mother Teresa
- “Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others.” — Paulo Coelho
- “Problems can be experienced as… a chance for renewal rather than stress.” — Marilyn Ferguson
- “Over-thinking causes unnecessary stress and worry, and tends to blow things out of proportion.” — Melissa Eshleman
- “The people in your life should be a source of reducing stress, not causing it. If not let go.” — Anonymous
- “Behind every stressful thought is the desire for things to be other than they are.” — Toni Bernhard
- “When money becomes your purpose, stress and depression becomes your path.” — Prabakaran Thirumala
Inspirational Quotes On Stress And Dealing It
- “Gratitude can reduce your stress and anxiety.” — Bree Miller
- “Nothing is permanent in this world. Not even stress.” — Unknown
- “Just enjoy every moment – don’t stress. Just be yourself.” — Mabel
- “Creating something I can use is the best stress reliever.” — Blake Lively
- “Stress and striving always color your art in unintended ways.” — Allen Arnold
- “Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” — Joan Borysenko
- “My key to dealing with stress is simple: just stay cool and stay focused.” — Ashton Eaton
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King
- “There’s a lot of stress… but once you get in the car, all that goes out the window.” — Dan Brown
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James
- “Practicing mindful meditation is an extremely effective way to manage both our feelings of stress and anxiety.” — Kristine Ally
- “Worrying and Stressing is useless simply because whatever GOD has for you is for you. Let GOD happen.” — Sabrina Newby
- “At some point, I finally realized that stress made a really bad companion… so I had it pack its shit and leave.” — Steve Maraboli
- “Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it’s the time when they most need to think.” — William J. Clinton
- “Stress is largely self-inflicted, so the ability to manage stress more effectively comes from managing oneself.” — Michael Hetherington
Mental Stress Quotes
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.” — Hans Selye
- “I enjoy an evening stroll. It helps me to reflect and eases stress.” — Blac Chyna
- “Where there is a lack of rest, there is an abundance of stress.” — Lysa TerKeurst
- “A good way to overcome stress is to help others out of theirs.” — Dada J. P. Vaswani
- “Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.” — Natalie Goldberg
- “I’ve chosen to treat my life more like a party than something to stress about.” — Martin Short
- “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…Including you.” — Anne Lamott
- “It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.” — Robert W. Service
- “Everyone is struggling under stress and fear. Only with right attitude we can avoid regrets.” — Kishore Bansal
- “Whenever you feel tension mounting up, just smile: you will break the force of tension.” — Dada J. P. Vaswani
- “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum
- “Times of stress and difficulty are seasons of opportunity when the seeds of progress are sown.” — Thomas F. Woodlock
- “All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
Funny Stress Quotes To Help You Relax
- “I am 1% human and 99% stress.” — Unknown
- “Dear stress….lets break up.” — Unknown
- “Whatever happens, don’t stress.” — Unknown
- “If stress burned calories I’d be a supermodel.” — Unknown
- “Stress spelled backward is desserts.” — Loretta Laroche
- “Give your stress wings and let if fly away.” — Terri Guillemets
- “Relax. No one else knows what they’re doing either.” — Ricky Gervais
- “Make jokes. No stress. Love. Live life. Proceed. Progress.” — Lil Wayne
- “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.” — Mark Black
- “Laughter helps bring balance to a stressful situation.” — Kala Stevenson
- “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” — David Mamet
- “Never look in the mirror when your stressed it’s contagious.” — Benny Bellamacina
- “The best way to reduce stress in your life is to stop screwing up.” — Roy F. Baumeister
- “Make others laugh by laughing at yourself. This is the best way to de-stress.” — Tapan Ghosh
- “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
Conclusion
Sometimes pressure and stress can be used as a positive nudge that inspires us to push through challenges.
Our reaction to any situation decides whether it will be positive or negative. So try and be relaxed and calm before diving into any overwhelming situation.
Stress can lead to a negative thought pattern, anxiety, depression, and even health problems. If you feel panic-stricken under stress, then try methods and consultation to prevent and reduce it.
The mundane routine, troubled relationship problems, financial stress, and constant failure may give you sleepless nights and you feel you have reached your breaking point in life.
In modern times, we see teens and kids very stressed out due to studies, exams, and peer pressure. It leads to sadness and mental fatigue which can affect children very adversely.
Coping with stressful issues can be easy if we first start by understanding the situation. It will help us get a clear picture of the pros and cons.
More Inspirational Quotes
If you feel anxious and nervous on a constant basis, then it is advisable to consult a professional therapist to get the much-needed guidance to feel relaxed.
Let us know which of the above stressing quotes and sayings you resonate the most with. If you have a favorite quote that is not on the above list, please share it in the comments section below.
Feel free to share these uplifting quotes with friends and family on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Pinterest, and more to spread some wise words of wisdom to inspire you.