Stress Quotes

“Forgetting happens. If you stress about it, it'll happen even more.”
― Lisa Genova, Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting

“Having realistic and helpful expectations of the world that you live in and the people that you share it with will reduce stress levels considerably.”
― Steve Peters

“Sport can teach us how to set and achieve goals, solve problems, cope with stress, manage our emotions, refocus after mistakes, and build self-confidence.”
― Noel Brick, Strong Minds: How to Unlock the Power of Elite Sports Psychology to Accomplish Anything

“xThe cause of most stress can be summed up by the word attachment. Self 1 gets so dependent upon things, situations, people and concepts within its experience that when change occurs or seems about to occur, it feels threatened. Freedom from stress does not necessarily involve giving up anything, but rather being able to let go of anything, when necessary, and know that one will still be all right. It comes from being more independent—not necessarily more solitary, but more reliant on one’s own inner resources for stability.”
― W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“Freedom from stress happens in proportion to our responsiveness to our true selves, allowing every moment possible to be an opportunity for Self 2 to be what it is and enjoy the process. As far as I can see, this is a lifelong learning process.”
― W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“When you are under stress, deep breathing helps bring your mind and body back into the present.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“Nothing happens by overthinking; then why stress? Is it too hard to sit down and relax?”
― Sukant Ratnakar, Quantraz

“I feel stressed" and "I feel anxious" are often said as if they are the same thing.

A working definition of stress is "a natural response to present danger."

Anxiety however is usually connected to the fear of losing something or having less of something in the future.

Stress = Present Danger
Anxiety = Future Danger”
― Matt Purcell, Life Hacks For Mindful Living

“And now I shall tell you what Tilte and I have discovered one must do: one must reach inside and feel. The moment the shock kicks in there’s this very unusual, very special feeling inside and all around you, and that is what you must reach into and feel. It is there just before the tears come, and the despair, and the customary depression, and the giving up, and the decision that if Karl can get up at four in the morning, then you can get up at three or two, or even not go to bed at all so as to be sure of getting there first.

During that brief moment when your normal instincts are gone and new ones have yet to appear, at that moment there is an entry.

This I remember on Blågårds Plads, and I listen inside and sense that the shock has caused the door to open.”
― Peter Høeg, The Elephant Keepers' Children

“It felt like heading out for a run immediately after a stressful work or travel day.”
― Alex Hutchinson, Endure By Alex Hutchinson & The Rise of Superman By Steven Kotler 2 Books Collection Set

“This heightened resilience to stress will help the soldiers handle the inevitable chaos they will encounter during combat and reduce their likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.”
― Alex Hutchinson, Endure By Alex Hutchinson & The Rise of Superman By Steven Kotler 2 Books Collection Set

“Another eight-week program modeled on Kabat-Zinn’s stress-reduction course. This version of mindfulness training puts more emphasis on sport-specific skills like concentration and embracing rather than avoiding pain, and addresses common athlete pitfalls like perfectionism by teaching self-compassion.”
― Alex Hutchinson, Endure By Alex Hutchinson & The Rise of Superman By Steven Kotler 2 Books Collection Set

“I began a new career studying the psychology of stress and the psychology of success. My mission was to learn all I could about playing under pressure. I wanted to find out why, under pressure, some athletes break through, as Hamilton did, while others break down.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“Whenever they feel themselves growing anxious, breathe in energy. Breathe out negativity. Breathe in relaxation. Breathe out stress.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“In the same way you create stress and tension you also can create relaxation. The goal of relaxation training is to teach you how to recognize the early warning signs of tension and to counter or replace them with the sensations of relaxation. Interestingly, one way to relax tense muscles is first to tighten them more. If your shoulders feel like coiled springs, draw them up and squeeze those muscles. Hold the pose for five to ten seconds. Feel the stress and study the sensation. Then release and relax the muscles completely.”
― Gary Mack, Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

“The secret to cracking into our inner biology is as easy as leaving our comfort zones and seeking out just enough environmental stress to make us stronger.”
― Scott Carney, What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength

“Exercising the stress response just allows a person to assert a measure of control when the environment gets challenging.”
― Scott Carney, What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength

“Running Is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Fight Depression, and Live Happier”
― Scott Douglas, Running Is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Fight Depression, Ditch Bad Habits, and Live Happier

“As three-time Olympic ski jumper Andreas Küttel puts it, “Nature . . . gives me absolutely a lot of energy on a daily basis but also for special occasions it gives you calmness.” The ability of natural spaces to help us de-stress is reinforced by former Irish rugby union player Rosie Foley, who enthuses, “The emotions are just pure relaxation and just that lovely feeling of this is where I’m supposed to be!”
― Noel Brick, Strong Minds: How to Unlock the Power of Elite Sports Psychology to Accomplish Anything

“A 2014 study found positive results following eight weeks of mindfulness training with a group of US marines exposed to stressful training exercises.16 The program was designed to develop concentration and a greater acceptance and tolerance of physical pain, distressing thoughts, intense emotions, and harsh environmental conditions.”
― Noel Brick, Strong Minds: How to Unlock the Power of Elite Sports Psychology to Accomplish Anything

“The marines who had received the mindfulness training recovered more swiftly after stressful combat exercises.”
― Noel Brick, Strong Minds: How to Unlock the Power of Elite Sports Psychology to Accomplish Anything

“When we are confronted with stressful and difficult situations, focusing more on aspects that we can control—or at least influence—can alter our emotional response to the situation.”
― Noel Brick, Strong Minds: How to Unlock the Power of Elite Sports Psychology to Accomplish Anything

“Relaxing is about taking a few minutes out of your day to wind down and take a breather. Resting is about stopping for a significant period of time during the day, typically the evening to escape work and stress, and to completely unwind. Sleep speaks for itself.”
― Ben Bergeron, Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the World’s Fittest Athletes

“They shared a fondness for barbed humor and skill at using it to defuse stress. Each recognized the other as a master of this dangerous game, producing mutual respect.”
― James M. Tabor, Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth

“When your brain starts getting afraid or stressed about something, it’s hard to just shut down those thoughts. If you can replace them with other thoughts, that helps a lot.”
― Sadie Robertson, Live Original: How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps It Real and Stays True to Her Values

“People who are motivated away from things often experience a lot of pain and worry before they’re motivated to act.”
― Steve Andreas, NLP: The New Technology of Achievement

“The type of image you are exposed to makes a clear difference in your health. In a 2014 study led by Dr. Ellen Vincent at Clemson University’s School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Studies, researchers found nature images resulted in less pain and a lower diastolic blood pressure. Vincent and her team measured the amount of pain with a group of students with their hands in a bucket of ice water, then repeated the experiment with hospital patients.

Nature images had the benefit of reducing pain more than no images at all. Also, nature scenes depicting hazard conditions, such as a storm, did not have a positive effect. Moreover, abstract art was found to cause stress and provided no therapeutic value. Other studies have also found that being surrounded by nature produces a balancing and healing response.”
― Cary G. Weldy, The Power of Tattoos: Twelve Hidden Energy Secrets of Body Art Every Tattoo Enthusiast Should Know

“Freedom from stress does not necessarily involve giving up anything, but rather being able to let go of anything, when necessary, and know that one will still be all right. It comes from being more independent—not necessarily more solitary, but more reliant on one’s own inner resources for stability.”
― W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“You’re worried, but you also aim for perfection. You’re stressed, but you also never slow down.”
― Maxime Lagacé

“Action is the best medicine for anxiety and a smile is the best tonic for stress. Stay healthy!”
― Sukant Ratnakar, Quantraz