130 Quotes On Stress And How To Handle It

If you are feeling stressed, these stress quotes are sure to give you a little bit of motivation to keep going when times are tough.

In the comments below, let us know which quote is your favorite.

No matter who we are and what we do in life, stress is always going to find us.

But it’s how we manage that stress that makes the ultimate difference on our life.

Our latest collection of stress quotes will give you the foundation you need to better manage your stress so that you can get the most out of life.

Regardless of what status you hold, life can get stressful at times.

Sometimes we have to deal with financial setbacks, health problems, workplace challenges and all sorts of difficulties.

But no matter what stress we might experience, we cannot allow it to make us crumble.

Just like mentally strong people, we must be able to thrive regardless of any added tension.

In order to handle stress effectively, we have to accept that stress is part of life, accept that we cannot control everything and maintain a positive attitude.

We have to put our stress in perspective, replace negative thoughts with positive ones and be proud of our achievements, no matter how small.

When stress takes over, it can be really challenging to return to your happy state.

To help you get back there, here are some inspirational, wise, and uplifting stress and depression quotes and sayings.

Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom. 

See the rest of our quote database for even more inspirational ideas and thoughts.

Inspirational quotes on stress and how to handle it

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

You will also enjoy our article on quotes on being calm.

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

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

You will also enjoy our article on anxiety quotes.

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

You will also enjoy our article on anchor quotes.

5. “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” —Brian Tracy

You will also enjoy our article on calm quotes.

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

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

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

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

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

You will also enjoy our article on Krishna quotes.

Quotes on stress and how to manage it

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

12. 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

13. “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

14. “Over-thinking causes unnecessary stress and worry, and tends to blow things out of proportion.” – Melissa Eshleman

15. “Laughter helps bring balance to a stressful situation.” – Kala Stevenson

16. “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

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

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

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

20. “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mohandas Gandhi

Also, read these insanity quotes on staying sane in the chaos that is life.

Inspirational stress quotes to calm you

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

22. “In a year you’ll barely remember why you felt so stressed, so why stress about it now?” – Unknown

23. “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

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

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

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

27. “Today I refuse to stress myself out about things I cannot control or change.”- Anonymous

28. “Stress spelled backward is desserts.” – Loretta Laroche

29. “Trying to be a perfectionist brings increased stress and hinders performance.”  – T. Whitmore

30. “Gratitude can reduce your stress and anxiety.” – Bree Miller

Quotes about stress in life

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

If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll also love our collection of rejection quotes about life, love, and goals.

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

If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our collection of mental health quotes for happiness and success.

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

34. 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

35. Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche. – Andrew Denton

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

37. “Give your stress wings and let if fly away.” –Terri Guillemets

38. “Make jokes. No stress. Love. Live life. Proceed. Progress.”  – Lil Wayne

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

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

Inspirational quotes about stress

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

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

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

44. 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

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

46. When you are stressed on mind…to pour it out, is the behaviour, most kind!~ Sujit Lalwani

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

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

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

50. “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

You might also like these running quotes to motivate you to stay active.

Stress quotes to remind you of your strength

51. “Whenever you feel tension mounting up, just smile: you will break the force of tension.”― Dada J. P. Vaswani

52. “Stress comes from the fear of the unknown. To reduce stress, love what you do and be who you are.”― Debasish Mridha

53. “Stress and striving always color your art in unintended ways.”― Allen Arnold

54. “When money becomes your purpose, stress and depression becomes your path.”― Prabakaran Thirumalai

55. “The more stress you accumulate, the heavier it becomes. If you accumulate too much, the weight of carrying it can break you.”― Oscar Auliq-Ice

56. “Even the worst days have an ending, and the best days have a beginning.”― Jennifer Coletta

57. “Make others laugh by laughing at yourself. This is the best way to de-stress.”― Tapan Ghosh

58. “Don’t stress over being yourself. The act of being yourself is simply to be. Be without changing yourself for others. Simply be.”― Avina Celeste

59. “Relax. No one else knows what they’re doing either.”― Ricky Gervais

60. “You won’t stress over it unless you care.”― Joyce Rachelle

Stress quotes for encouragement

61. “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” – Anonymous

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of diamond quotes about the power of long lasting beauty.

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

63. “When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” – Buddha

64. “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

65. “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

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

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

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

69. “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. You don’t have to control your thoughts.” – Dan Millman

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

Stress quotes to make you feel better

71. Stress and unhappiness come not from situations, but how you respond to situations.” – Brian Tracy

72. “If you think too far ahead, then it’ll just stress you out.” – Laurie Hernandez

73. “Practicing mindful meditation is an extremely effective way to manage both our feelings of stress and anxiety.” – Kristine Ally

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of meditation quotes about the power of daily meditation.

74. “Creating something I can use is the best stress reliever.” – Blake Lively

75. “You cannot be a stress-free person and remain anxious and depressed. Getting rid of your stress is the key to saving your sanity.” – Jack Brady

76. All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

77. “Worrying is a waste of time; it changes nothing. It will only create stress, which can have major effects on your health.” – Robert Washington

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of health quotes expressing the power of making healthy choices.

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

79. “Remember that every time you say yes to something, especially when you are half-hearted in agreeing, you add stress in your life.” – Philip Vang

80. “Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” – Joan Borysenko

Stress quotes for when you need relaxation

81. “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” – Kelly Clarkson

82. “Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” – Valerie Bertinelli

83. “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

84. “Just enjoy every moment – don’t stress. Just be yourself.” – Mabel

85. “Stress is real, and you never know what a person is going through behind the camera.” – Soulja Boy

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

87. “‘Sunrise Sunset’ is about trying to get to a place where life is simple and not letting the stress and happenings in the world get in the way of your happiness.” – Benny Cassette

88. “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 J. Bernstein

89. “Enjoy the pressure. Enjoy the stress. Enjoy being uncomfortable. And don’t shy away from it, embrace it.” – Gary Woodland

90. “Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it.” – Lily Tomlin

Stress quotes to help ease your anxiety

91. “Times of stress and difficulty are seasons of opportunity when the seeds of progress are sown.” – Thomas F. Woodlock

92. “The best way to reduce stress in your life is to stop screwing up.” – Roy F. Baumeister

93. “Stress can destroy much more than just our physical health. Too often, it eats away at our hope, belief, and faith.” – Charles F. Glassman

94. “Never look in the mirror when your stressed it’s contagious.” – Benny Bellamacina

95. “Stress and anxiety cause our brains to release chemicals that put lines in our faces and tear us down emotionally and spiritually.” – Chris Prentiss

96. “If you’re stressing over happiness, you’re doing it wrong!” – Shannon L. Alder

97. “Worrying and Stressing is useless simply because whatever GOD has for you is for you. Let GOD happen.” – Sabrina Newby

98. “At some point, I finally realized that stress made a really bad companion… so I had it pack its shit and leave.” – Steve Maraboli

99. “Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it’s the time when they most need to think.” – William J. Clinton

100. “Behind every stressful thought is the desire for things to be other than they are.” – Toni Bernhard

More stress quotes and sayings

101. “Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.” – Robert Tew

102. “In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived. How well we have loved. How well we have learned to let go.”— Jack Kornfield

103. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.” – Zig Ziglar

104. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”— Lao Tzu

105. “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

106. “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.”— Wayne W. Dyer

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

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

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

110. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” – Thich Nhat Han

Stress quotes to help bring balance

111. “Live a life that is well balanced; don’t do things in excess.”  -Daniel Smith

112. “Self-care is, fundamentally, about bringing balance back to a life that has grown imbalanced from too many commitments or responsibilities.” -Robyn L. Gobin

113. “Too much of one thing can end up creating stress; this is something that no one needs in their life. But living a life in balance can provide harmony and peace.”  -Catherine Pulsifer

114. “The more often you decline invitations to spend time with friends or family because you are too busy with either work or other activities, the more you should realize that your life is not in balance.” -Byron Pulsifer

115. “I’m not suggesting you deny or suppress your emotions, but just discover for yourself what it takes for you to handle your emotions and stay balanced.” -Wendy Hearn

116. “It’s not about balance, it’s about designing a work-home-family life that makes you feel good. A life you don’t need a vacation from.” -Jacqueline Frosh

117. “It’s also important to give attention to your health and hygiene. Keep yourself healthy by exercising, eating a balanced diet, and sleeping right.” -Kathleen Rao

118. “Take some time to learn which opinions you need to value and which ones you simply need to stop listening to.” -Frankie Robinson

119. “Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax.” -Bryant McGrill

120. “Say no to the demands of the world. Say yes to the longings of your own heart.” –Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Stress Quotes To Get You Going

121. “Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.” ― Bill Phillips

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

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

124. “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

125. “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

126. “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

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

128. “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein

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

130. “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

Which were your favorite stress quotes?

Stress is a part of life.

Stressful situations are bound to arise at some point.

When they do, it’s upon us to continue thriving despite the added tension.

No matter what stress and challenges life throws at us, we have to be mentally strong in order to be successful.

Hopefully, these stress quotes will help you cope with whatever stressful situation you might be facing.

Which are your favorite quotes on stress?

Do you have any other stress quotes to share with us?

Tell us in the comment section below.

We would love to hear all about it.