149 Anxiety Quotes To Help You Recharge And Relax

Here are 149 of the best anxiety quotes I could find. But before you jump in, please remember this: take it cool, slow down and relax. And most importantly, don’t take life and yourself too seriously. Deal? Enjoy!

Anxiety is the handmaiden of contemporary ambition. Alain de Botton (Status Anxiety)

Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions – not outside. Marcus Aurelius

Cultivate calm and stillness: let go of anxiety as a lifestyle. Brené Brown

If you aren’t in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret. Jim Carrey

He who fears he will suffer, already suffers because he fears. Michel de Montaigne

Life is not a tension anywhere except in the minds of humanity. Osho

It’s important to give up – maybe daily – the longing to be perfect…what a heavy burden. Fred Rogers

All this hurrying from place to place won’t bring you any relief, for you’re traveling in the company of your own emotions, followed by your troubles all the way. Seneca (Moral Letters to Lucilius, Amazon Book)

True happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied, for he that is wants nothing. Seneca

Stop being tormented by everyone else’s reaction to you. Joyce Meyer

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. What is anything in life compared to peace of soul? Francis de Sales

We labour at our daily work more ardently and thoughtlessly than is necessary to sustain our life because it is even more necessary not to have leisure to stop and think. Haste is universal because everyone is in flight from himself. Friedrich Nietzsche (Untimely Meditations, Amazon Book)

Stepping out of the busyness is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit. Tara Brach (Radical Acceptance, Amazon Book)

Don’t worry about achieving. Don’t worry about perfection. Just be there each moment as best you can. Pema Chödrön

With my desire to improve everything, I destroy the moment. Naval Ravikant

Related

• 100 Mental Health Quotes To Comfort, Encourage, Inspire
• 120 Stress Quotes To Bring Relaxation And Ease
• 79 Positive Quotes To Uplift Yourself

The Best Anxiety Quotes

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Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. Michel de Montaigne

It is always possible to practice releasing the tension in yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh

Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh

I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. Erica Jong

Often the moment when we most need to pause is exactly when it feels most intolerable to do so. Tara Brach (Radical Acceptance)

Rather than relaxing and enjoying who we are and what we’re doing, we are comparing ourselves with an ideal and trying to make up for the difference. Tara Brach (Radical Acceptance)

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. Buddha

We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us. Pema Chödrön

A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. Pema Chödrön

Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence. Alan Watts

Cultivate intuition and trust faith: let go of the need for certainty. Brené Brown

He who hurries through life hurries to his grave. George R. R. Martin (A Clash of Kings, 1999)

Fear exists only in your mind, not in nature. Detach yourself, be strong, trust life, become life. Maxime Lagacé

Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering. Winnie the Pooh

When we’re anxious, disconnected, vulnerable, alone, and feeling helpless, the booze and food and work and endless hours online feel like comfort, but in reality they’re only casting their long shadows over our lives. Brené Brown (Daring Greatly, Amazon Book)

The three great American vices seem to be efficiency, punctuality, and the desire for achievement and success. They are the things that make the Americans so unhappy and so nervous. Lin Yutang

The person who trusts can relax into existence. The person who cannot trust remains tense, remains anxious, afraid. Osho

Persistent, non-specific anxiety is the result of wanting so much, talking so much, and doing so much that you lose touch with the quiet joys of solitude. Naval Ravikant

It did what all ads are supposed to do: create an anxiety relievable by purchase. David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest, Amazon Book)

You can’t always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. Wayne Dyer

The desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing. Alan Watts

Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself…do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage. Francis de Sales

Part 2. Anxiety Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Anxiety Quotes

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Searching for a famous anxiety quote or author? Check out those ones by Mark Twain, Nietzsche, Emerson, Pascal, etc.

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. Mark Twain

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Henry Ford

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

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

Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths. Charles Spurgeon

Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

A great many worries can be diminished by realizing the unimportance of the matter which is causing the anxiety. Bertrand Russell

Be scared. You can’t help that. But don’t be afraid. William Faulkner

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All your anxiety is because of your desire for harmony. Seek disharmony, then you will gain peace. Rumi

If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present. Lao Tzu

Men seek rest in a struggle against difficulties; and when they have conquered these, rest becomes insufferable. Blaise Pascal

Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt

We are terrified by the idea of being terrified. Friedrich Nietzsche

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. William Shakespeare (Macbeth)

Nothing is permanent in this wicked world — not even our troubles. Charlie Chaplin

Short Anxiety Quotes

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One-liners, short anxiety quotes, sayings, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.

Create more. Consume less. Maxime Lagacé

Ignorance is the cause of fear. Seneca (Natural Questions)

The universe doesn’t allow perfection. Stephen Hawking

What separates people is how they respond. Shane Parrish (@shaneaparrish)

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. Charlotte Brontë

For fast acting relief, try slowing down. Lily Tomlin

During the night we must wait for the light. Francis de Sales

Anxiety disappears once you focus on what you can control. Orange Book (Source)

You are rich if you can take your time. Orange Book

Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. Ralph Waldo Emerson

What we fear we also desire, and what we desire we fear. Erica Jong

The first step: Don’t be anxious. Nature controls it all. Marcus Aurelius

Inspirational Anxiety Quotes

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We need, above all things, to slow down and get ourselves to amble through life instead of to rush through it. Alan Watts

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

Always do the things you fear the most. Courage is an acquired taste, like caviar. Erica Jong

Imagine how effective you would be if you weren’t anxious all the time. Naval Ravikant (Source)

Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow’s. Seneca

Today, you can decide to walk in freedom. You can choose to walk differently. You can walk as a free person, enjoying every step. Thich Nhat Hanh

When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do and no longer prevents you from taking action to initiate change. Eckhart Tolle

Excitement and emotion arise when something is not understood. As it is understood, one naturally becomes unfazed. One naturally becomes equanimous. Kapil Gupta

The mind freed from passions is an impenetrable fortress – a person has no more secure place of refuge for all time. Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, Amazon Book)

Amateurs are scared – scared to be vulnerable and honest with themselves. Professionals feel like they are capable of handling almost anything. Shane Parrish

There is nothing more powerful than releasing the need to control and relying on a power greater than you to restore your thoughts and energy. Gabby Bernstein

It doesn’t really matter what you are afraid of. Trust yourself enough to confront it, walk through it and survive. Iyanla Vanzant

Helpful Anxiety Sayings

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The wiser you get, the more you ignore things that are useless. Maxime Lagacé

You are far from the only nervous person in the room. Thibaut

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come. Zig Ziglar

Anxiety isn’t a malfunction. It’s a signal. Johann Hari (Source)

The truly patient man neither complains of his hard lot nor desires to be pitied by others. He speaks of his sufferings in a natural, true, and sincere way, without murmuring, complaining, or exaggerating them. Francis de Sales

The faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus. Greg McKeown

Cultivate play and rest: let go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth. Brené Brown

The ultimate purpose of inquiry is that it allows us to pause. In the space of a pause, truth can shine through. Tara Brach (Radical Acceptance)

Use your time, energy and talents to do the best you can right now. Spend no time wishing it were better. Iyanla Vanzant

Everything is fleeting. Why care? Why become emotional about something which is temporary, which you’ll soon forget? Just sit back and observe the transience of everything. You’ll see how you waste your energy on trifles. Most things are just not worth fretting about. @TheAncientSage

Breath by breath, let go of fear, expectation, anger, regret, cravings, frustration, fatigue. Let go of the need for approval. Let go of old judgments and opinions. Die to all that, and fly free. Soar in the freedom of desirelessness. Lama Surya Das

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh

A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you. Joyce Meyer

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile. Charlie Chaplin

A rational person can find peace by cultivating indifference to things outside of their control. Naval Ravikant

Related: Helpful Anxiety Resources On…

Meditation
How Meditation Can Help Generalized Anxiety Disorder (verywellmind.com)
I Don’t Like Meditating. Here’s Why I Do It Anyway (healthline.com)
Amazing Meditation Quotes That Will Enlighten You

Exercise
How Physical Exercise Benefits Mental Health (verywellmind.com)
Health Quotes For A Better Mind, Body (And Life)

Sleep
People who sleep less than 8 hours a night more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety (sciencedaily.com)
17 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night (healthline.com)

Food
What are some foods to ease your anxiety? (medicalnewstoday.com)
6 Foods That Help Reduce Anxiety (healthline.com)

Funny And Surprising Anxiety Quotes

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Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far. Jodi Picoult (Sing You Home: A Novel)

Free time is death to the anxious, and thank goodness I don’t have any of it right now. Jon Stewart

The cure for anything is salt water: tears, sweat, or the sea. Isak Dinesen

The mind is like a television set with hundreds of channels. Which channel will you turn on? Thich Nhat Hanh

Of all your troubles, great and small, the greatest are the ones that don’t happen at all. Thomas Carlyle

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. Bernard-Paul Heroux

Relax; the world’s not watching that closely. It’s too busy contemplating itself in the mirror. Richelle E. Goodrich

Deep Anxiety Sayings

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We trouble our life by thoughts about death, and our death by thoughts about life. Michel de Montaigne

What we seek is some kind of compensation for what we put up with. Haruki Murakami

She was terrified of everything, and terrified to show it. David Foster Wallace

The level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection. Brené Brown (Daring Greatly)

Anxiety is a side effect of trying to live in future without the ability to shape it. Kunal Shah (Source)

Unresolved thoughts, prematurely pushed out of the mind, pile up in an internal landfill – which eventually pokes out of the subconscious and manifests as chronic, nonspecific anxiety. Naval Ravikant

This runaway thinking is just a recipe for anxiety, which is always causing me to try and live forward into the next, into the next, into the next. It’s keeping me moving, moving, moving, and not happy, and not peaceful, and not present. Naval Ravikant

We human beings are what we have been for millions of years – colossally greedy, envious, aggressive, jealous, anxious and despairing, with occasional flashes of joy and affection. Jiddu Krishnamurti

What we have to discover is that there is no safety, that seeking it is painful, and that when we imagine we have found it, we don’t like it. Alan Watts

Anxiety shows that we are too close to the world and too far from God. John Piper

Prosperity is ever providing itself with anxieties. Publilius Syrus

To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one’s self… And to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one’s self. Søren Kierkegaard

If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief. Brené Brown

You’re anxious because you avoid anxiety provoking situations. Paul Domenick

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. Søren Kierkegaard

Wise Anxiety Sayings

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Thought is responsible for fear. Thought is responsible for pleasure. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Whoever has learned to be anxious in the right way has learned the ultimate. Søren Kierkegaard

Anxiety is the human condition. It’s probably the single most pervasive emotion. Naval Ravikant

Perhaps all anxiety might derive from a fixation on moments — an inability to accept life as ongoing. Sarah Manguso

Chasing after the things one yearns for is inferior to chasing after the source of the yearning. Wu Hsin

Anxiety contaminates the present with the pains of all imaginable futures. We cannot experience the fullness of the moment if we are forever suffering from hypothetical hardships. @TheStoicEmperor

The anxiety many feel is a result of trying to live in the world their imagination created, while being forced to live in the real world. Thibaut

Life seems to be a process of replacing one anxiety with another and substituting one desire for another – which is not to say that we should never strive to overcome any of our anxieties or fulfil any of our desires, but rather to suggest that we should perhaps build into our strivings an awareness of the way our goals promise us a respite and a resolution that they cannot, by definition, deliver. Alain de Botton (Status Anxiety, Amazon Book)

People think it would be nice to have peace of mind, to be serene, to be calm, to be undisturbed by this, that, and the other. But as long as you make all those things objects of desire, you have defined yourself as lacking them. Alan Watts

No amount of anxiety can change the future. No amount of regret can change the past. Karen Salmansohn

Most of us live in a post-scarcity world, yet are still running mental algorithms from a resource scare world. Thus we have anxiety, overconsumption and self-torture. Seeing that truth is the first step to liberation. Justin Kan

Desire disappears as you become more and more aware. When awareness is one hundred percent, there is no desire at all. Osho

Remember one thing: except for silence, everything else is your imagination – howsoever beautiful. Osho

There’s no situation that calls for mild anxiety. Either increase the level of stress to promote action, or forget about it and enjoy life. Johnny Uzan

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfections. Dogen

Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems. Epictetus

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

One is a great deal less anxious if one feels perfectly free to be anxious. Alan Watts

Related: The One Question We Need to Ask Ourselves When We Feel Anxious (YouTube video by The School of Life)

Part 3. Conclusion

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Two kinds of happiness. Worldly happiness is reward from our evolutionary program. Get praise, money, drugs, sex. It busies the mind with craving and anxiety. Internal happiness is reward from being in flow. Create, meditate, love, play. It clears the mind and leaves us in peace. Naval Ravikant

Further Readings

• Topic: Sadness And Mental Health
• 73 Sad Quotes To Bring Relief
• 77 Worry Quotes To Bring More Ease Into Your Life
• 121 Fear Quotes To Make You (Almost) Fearless
• 130 Depression Quotes To Bring Support And Relief
• Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety (Anxiety guide by healthline.com)
• 89 Moving On Quotes To Bring Lightness Into Your Life
• 75 Patience Quotes To Make You More Tenacious (And Calm)
• 100 Healing Quotes To Help You Feel Better
• How To Improve Your Mental Health

Hope you enjoyed these anxiety quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!

Are you anxious? What’s your favorite anxiety quote? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.