Article image

11 Quotes for When You're Feeling Anxious

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, and the accompanying fear, worry, and uncertainty can be overwhelming. Though some nervous feelings are perfectly normal, and even energizing, too much anxiety can have a negative impact on our physical and mental well-being — as important a reason as any to practice cultivating peace in our inner and outer lives.

When those uneasy, anxious feelings arise, it’s helpful to pause, breathe, and remember that — as the saying goes — this too shall pass. In the meantime, these quotes can offer a fresh perspective, a moment of calm, and some hopeful reassurance.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Maya Angelou

Share Quote

Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.
Jodi Picoult

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.
Thích Nhất Hạnh

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Share Quote

Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.
Cheryl Strayed

Share Quote

Many of us feel stressed and overwhelmed not because we're taking on too much, but too little of what strengthens us.
Marcus Buckingham

Share Quote

There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.
Sylvia Plath

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

Featured image credit: tomertu/ Shutterstock

Author image
About the Author
Nicole Villeneuve
Nicole is a writer, thrift store lover, and group-chat meme spammer based in Ontario, Canada.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "___ is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect." - Steve Jobs

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

Don't allow your rituals to become ruts.

separator icon
Todd Henry
motivation theme icon

The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.

separator icon
Keanu Reeves
hope theme icon

Resilience — the ability to brush off pain.

separator icon
Kristen Roupenian
love theme icon

Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber.

separator icon
Elbert Hubbard
wisdom theme icon

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play.

separator icon
Jane Goodall
happiness theme icon

Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.

separator icon
Jodi Picoult
motivation theme icon

Learning never exhausts the mind.

separator icon
Leonardo da Vinci
hope theme icon

I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.

separator icon
Anne Frank
love theme icon

Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.

separator icon
Mary Shelley
wisdom theme icon

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.

separator icon
Fred Rogers
happiness theme icon

In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.

separator icon
Patti Smith