For anxious moments
Quotes for anxiety, for when your mind won't slow down.
Anxiety can make every thought feel urgent. These quotes are here to slow things down a little: short enough to read in one breath, gentle enough to come back to as often as you need.
You don't have to read this whole page. Scroll until one line feels true, then stop there for a moment. If it helps, read it aloud slowly, or save it somewhere you will see it later.
Most of the quotes here are original to Calm Down Quotes. A few are much older words that people have leaned on for centuries; their sources are listed beside them.
When your thoughts are racing
Not every thought deserves an answer. Some can simply pass through.
You don't have to argue with every worry. Notice it, name it as a thought, and let it move on like a car passing outside.
Your mind is sounding an alarm. You are allowed to check whether there is a fire.
Anxiety is a smoke alarm that sometimes goes off for toast. It is fine to pause and ask: is this danger happening right now, in this room?
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.— Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13 (tr. R. M. Gummere)
Seneca wrote this to a worried friend nearly two thousand years ago. Most of what we dread never arrives in the shape we imagine.
You are more than the thought currently speaking the loudest.
The loudest thought is not always the truest one. Let a quieter, kinder thought have a turn.
When you're worried about tomorrow
The future is not happening in this room.
Tomorrow's problems can't be solved tonight. Come back to what your senses can actually notice right now.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.— Matthew 6:34, King James Bible
An old line about letting each day carry its own concerns, rather than carrying all of them at once.
You do not have to believe every story fear tells about tomorrow.
Fear is a storyteller, and its stories are usually the worst-case version. Tomorrow has not spoken yet.
Men are disturbed not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.— Epictetus, Enchiridion, 5 (tr. Elizabeth Carter)
Epictetus noticed that much of our distress comes from how we interpret events. Changing the story can soften the feeling.
For staying with this moment
This feeling is visiting. It is not your forever.
Even strong waves of anxiety rise, peak and pass. You have ridden them out before.
A difficult hour is still only an hour. You do not have to make it a lifetime.
Shrink the timeframe. You only need to get through the next few minutes, then the next few after that.
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.— Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Written by a 14th-century English mystic during a time of plague and uncertainty, and repeated as a comfort ever since.
Feel your feet. Notice the light. Name what is real. Begin there.
When your mind runs ahead, your body can bring you back. Start with what you can see, hear and touch.
A one-minute grounding exercise (5-4-3-2-1)
- Name five things you can see around you.
- Notice four things you can feel: your feet on the floor, your back against the chair, the air on your skin.
- Listen for three things you can hear.
- Find two things you can smell, or two scents you like.
- Notice one thing you can taste, or take one slow sip of water.
If you are struggling right now: these quotes are not medical or crisis support. In Australia you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7) or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In an emergency call 000. Outside Australia, please contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line.
Quotes without a name are original to Calm Down Quotes. Older quotes list their source; translations vary.