Keep calm and carry on.
By Jaycee Levin — Written on Jan 05, 2020
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you ever feel like a "plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again"? If you answered yes to at least one (but probably both) of those questions, then we’ve all been there.
Life can be pretty harsh and, at times, Katy Perry lyrics won’t make you “roar” as much as you used to.
Life can be incredibly tough but beautiful at the same time. You will experience love and friendship. You will also experience sadness and anxiety. It’s important to feel the emotions you are feeling and know that they are valid. Although you might feel anxious at times, you will also feel serene and peaceful at others. Sometimes all you need to do is remotivate yourself and calm all the negative thoughts racing through your mind.
It may be difficult to refocus but you have to start doing what makes you happy. Put yourself first. It might be easier said than done, but you know the steps you need to take that serve you best. It doesn’t even have to be a major step. Sometimes you just need to take a moment to yourself where you can relax and not think about anything.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll escape to Italy (watch Call Me By Your Name) to enjoy the scenery (Timothée Chalamet) so you feel rejuvenated enough to tackle your tasks. Taking any step in the right direction, means you are taking a step in the right direction and that is always a good thing. Even if you do one thing on your to-do list, then you to-did it!
It’s important to see the bright side of things! Although you might be overwhelmed at the moment, you have inner strength and you have done so much in your life to get to where you are now. In life, you're never given anything you can’t handle.
If you are searching for a way to figure out how to calm down and refocus when life becomes too overwhelming, here are the best mental health quotes about anxiety to help you figure things out.
1. Anxiety can't change the future.
"When thinking about life, remember this: No amount of guilt can solve the past and no amount of anxiety can change the future." — Unknown
2. Try not to worry.
"Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace." — Unknown
3. Read it again.
"Whatever you are not changing you are choosing. Read that again." — Unknown
4. Breathe in and know.
"Breath is the power behind all things...I breathe in and know that good things will happen." — Tao Porchon-Lynch
5. Stillness is within you.
"Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” — Hermann Hesse
6. Have an anchor.
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh
7. Don't let your thoughts control you.
“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” — Dan Millman
8. Don't worry about how others perceive you.
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” — Olin Miller
9. Train yourself not to worry.
“Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything.” — Mary Hemingway
10. Make it yours.
“Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you because it will.”— Cheryl Strayed
11. Keep moving forward.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
12. Follow your dreams.
“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. Nobody's perfect.
“The universe doesn’t allow perfection.” — Stephen Hawking
14. Give yourself permission.
“I just give myself permission to suck. I find this hugely liberating.” — John Green
15. Nothing is permanent.
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world — not even our troubles.” — Charlie Chaplin
16. Become a butterfly.
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, she became a butterfly.” — Barbara Haines Howett
17. Just keep going.
“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.” — C. S. Lewis
18. A smile is the best accessory.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
19. Face your fears.
"Everything you have ever wanted, is sitting on the other side of fear." — George Addair
20. Keep your head held high.
"Chin up princess or the crown slips." — Unknown
21. The storm will pass.
"You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” — Timber Hawkeye
22. Get started.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain
23. Life can be hard and beautiful.
“Life can be magnificent and overwhelming—that is the whole tragedy. Without beauty, love, or danger it would almost be easy to live.” — Albert Camus
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Jaycee Levin is a writer who covers pop culture, astrology, and relationship topics.