10 Quotes That Get Me Through a Stressful Week

College is stressful. I know it’s obvious, but it’s true. On any given week, you can deal with the stress of a lab or a big essay or a midterm, but sometimes you have all three in one \and to top it all off you’re sick, and you just want to curl up in a ball on the floor and cry. I’ve been there. Quite honestly I’m currently there (I have a chemistry exam coming up that kinda makes me wanna cry, and I’m suffering from an ear infection). Everyone has their own ways of coping with stress, but I often find reading quotes and knowing someone has been just as stressed as me and has survived it often helps me calm down. Here are my top ten quotes for dealing with stress

1. “When thinking about life, remember this: no amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future.”

As someone with anxiety and who gets overwhelmed easily, this quote is really important to me. You can try and plan for things or wish you could change something that has happened, but the reality of life is that things are gonna happen, and you can’t always control it. Sometimes you just have to let life do its thing and deal with it as it comes.

2. “I just have to remind myself that everyday is just 24 hours, and I just have to live one day at a time, and I’ll be able to make it through.”

Looking at the big picture in life is sometimes a really good thing, but when it comes to stress, looking at the big picture can make things so much worse because it makes you realize all of the stressful things that have yet to come. It’s best to just take things one day at a time and things one task at a time when you’re stressed. The little accomplishments will add up, and your stress will start to melt away.

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

Often times when we get overwhelmed and stressed, everything seems like the end of the world when in reality it’s not that big of a deal. As hard as it is you gotta put things into perspective – take a step back, rationalize and breathe.

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

I know stress can often make you question certain decisions: “Why did I choose to take chemistry?” “Why am I a pre-med student?” and “Can I just sleep and ignore this problem?” I’m going to tell you a secret: you can handle everything that gets thrown at you. It may be really difficult and may involve a lot of hard work and some extra help from teachers or tutors, but you can do it.

5. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over the other.” – William James

This one is sorta similar to the third quote in that you need to rationalize. Just tell yourself I can do this. Take things one task at a time and don’t let the stress control you.

6. “If you feel fire, you’ll do fire”- Daniella (my roommate)

Stress makes us feel awful and like we can’t do things, but you just gotta tell stress “screw you, I’m going to get through this, and I’m going to do well.” If you believe you’re going to get through it then you will, so have that positive mindset.

7. “You only live once, but if you do it right once is enough” -Mae West

We often let stress affect our mood and dictate a lot of our lives but you have to remember you only live once. Don’t let stress be the main thing you experience, especially with college. Obviously work is important, but you’re young and in the midst of the best years of your life – so have fun.

8. “If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.” -Santideva

The reality of life is that the chips are going to fall as they do, and we can’t always plan it, control it or prepare for it. Sometimes you just gotta let things happen because worrying about them can’t and won’t change anything.

9. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”– Elbert Hubbard

When I’m stressing about a test, I start to doubt that I really know the material, but this doesn’t help anything. You have to trust that you’ve studied and prepared and that you know the material. Don’t second guess yourself. You’ve got this.

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

How you react to stress is all up to you. You can either let it break you and take over your life or you can say alright, this sucks, but I can get through it and I’ll be okay.

I know a lot of these seem similar but that’s because the message I want to give you about stress is simple: I know college and life are stressful, but I know you can get through it. I’m a firm believer that if you put your mind to something you can do it, and stress isn’t going to beat you. I know it’s hard to rationalize when you’re in the moment, but that’s why I’m here to do it for you.

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