Job stress or work stress is not always harmful, but it should be kept within limits. Within a limit, work stress forces us to stay on track. However, if your one of those people who think that stress doesn’t matter? That high-stress levels are somehow something to be endured? think again. Statistics Canada found that 62% of highly stressed workers described work as their main source of stress in a 2010 study, similarly, stress has been proven as a risk factor for numerous diseases, for example, Health Canada reports that stress is a known risk factor for heart disease and it has been proven that stress is a major cause of absenteeism.
Similar to fear, stress has a biological purpose and is very useful. After stressful stimulation inside the body, chemicals are released that result in a fast heart rate, sweating and tightened muscles. However, if the body is exposed continuously to these natural responses, it will not only impact your cognitive and behavioral performance, it can also have a negative impact on your personal health, wellbeing, and family life.
Here are 20 timeless thoughts on stress and how to handle it from the people who came before us (and some from people who are here with us now).
- “I woke up this morning. A lot of people didn’t.” ~ George Burns
- “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” ~ Marilu Henner
- “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” ~ Proverb
- “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.” ~ Bruce Lee
- “If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.” ~ Kris Carr
- “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”~ Ovid
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James
- “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “Planning lies with men; success lies with heaven.” ~ Chinese proverb
- “Long-range planning works best in the short term.” ~ Euripides
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” ~ Hans Selye
- “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” ~ Thomas Edison
- “Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.” ~ Roger Von Oech
- “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. “~ Lily Tomlin
- “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.” ~ Tom Krause
- “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”~ Bertrand Russell
- “I feel that the most important requirement in success is learning to overcome failure. You must learn to tolerate it.”~ Reggie Jackson
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
~ Henry Ford - “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
~ Bill Cosby - “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”~ Robert Eliot
- “Managing to have a sense of humour makes it a lot easier to manage people.” ~ Steve Wilson
- “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 long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall
What is your favorite quote on stress and how to overcome it? Feel free to share the best one(s) you have found in this article or in your life in the comments section below.
