--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always like to hear that they're…" description: "\"People always like to hear that they're under stress, makes them feel better. You can imagine what they'd feel if they were told they weren't under str..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/donald-barthelme-2980_feel-better_people-always-like-to-hear-that-they-re_3162238.jpg" --- # People always like to hear that they're under stress… ![“People always like to hear that they're under stress, makes them feel better. You can imagine what they'd feel if they were told they weren't under stress.” quote by Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/donald-barthelme-2980_feel-better_people-always-like-to-hear-that-they-re_3162238.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/donald-barthelme-2980_feel-better_people-always-like-to-hear-that-they-re_3162238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/donald-barthelme-2980_feel-better_people-always-like-to-hear-that-they-re_3162238.jpg) > “People always like to hear that they're under stress, makes them feel better. You can imagine what they'd feel if they were told they weren't under stress.” [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People find relief in labeling their anxiety; being told they are stressed feels validating, whereas being told they aren't can feel dismissive. **In simple terms:** Labeling stress feels comforting; denial feels harsh. Key Takeaway Recognize how language validates or invalidates feelings. Themes psychology validation stress communication Mood reflective empathetic Type observational analytical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - workplace feedback - personal reflection Key Concepts cognitive bias social perception Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect coping? - When is denial helpful? A Different Perspective May overlook underlying issues by focusing on labels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Under stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/under-stress/) ## Related quotes > [You know how you feel about her? 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Even if what you feel is pain, only let yourself feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feel-he-told-himself-feel-feel-feel-even-if-what-you-feel-is-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well,’ I said, ‘Paris is old, is many centuries. You feel, in Paris, all the time gone by. That isn’t what you feel in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-i-said-paris-is-old-is-many-centuries-you-feel-in-paris-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Stress makes you believe that everything, needs to happen right now. Faith reassures you that everything will happen in GOD'S TIMING!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/stress-makes-you-believe-that-everything-needs-to-happen-right-now/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [The American way of stress is comparable to Freud's 'beloved symptom', his name for the cherished neurosis that a patient cultivates like the rarest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/the-american-way-of-stress-is-comparable-to-freud-s-beloved-symptom/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [I try to avoid stress - it makes me feel like I'm rubber-stamping all my organs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berri-clove/i-try-to-avoid-stress-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-rubber-stamping-all/) Berri Clove > [“I don’t think stress makes a person “not me.” I think it brings out the “me” beneath the surface.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-myers-jr/i-don-t-think-stress-makes-a-person-not-me-i-think-it-brings-out-the/) [William L. Myers Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-myers-jr/) > [By putting yourself in that intense form of stress, it makes regular life more peaceful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/by-putting-yourself-in-that-intense-form-of-stress-it-makes-regular/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [Stress makes you believe that everything has to happen right now. Faith reassures you that everything will happen in God's timing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stress-makes-you-believe-that-everything-has-to-happen-right-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stress is something that makes you feel you can't be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penney-peirce/stress-is-something-that-makes-you-feel-you-can-t-be-yourself/) [Penney Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penney-peirce/) ## More by Donald Barthelme > [And I sat there getting drunker and drunker and more in love and more in love...And you can never touch a girl in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/and-i-sat-there-getting-drunker-and-drunker-and-more-in-love-and-more/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“INTERVIEWER Why don’t you write tragedy? BARTHELME I’m fated to deal in mixtures, slumgullions, which preclude tragedy, which require a pure line. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/interviewer-why-don-t-you-write-tragedy-barthelme-i-m-fated-to-deal/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? Aren't there important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/do-i-want-to-be-loved-in-spite-of-do-you-does-anyone-but-aren-t-we/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Our becoming is done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/our-becoming-is-done/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Of course we had hoped that he would take up his sword as part of the President's war on poetry. The time is ripe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/of-course-we-had-hoped-that-he-would-take-up-his-sword-as-part-of-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“You came and fell upon me, I was sitting in the wicker chair. The wicker exclaimed as your weight fell upon me. You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/you-came-and-fell-upon-me-i-was-sitting-in-the-wicker-chair-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Mother, have you noticed that this society we’re in tends to be a little…repressive?” “What does that mean, Eugenie? What does that mean, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/mother-have-you-noticed-that-this-society-we-re-in-tends-to-be-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“This muck heaves and palpitates. It is multi-directional and has a mayor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/this-muck-heaves-and-palpitates-it-is-multi-directional-and-has-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“They were heading I judged for the Sixth Precinct. Had I had the black hat with me, and sufficient men and horses and lariats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/they-were-heading-i-judged-for-the-sixth-precinct-had-i-had-the-black/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“art is a meditation upon external reality rather than a representation of external reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/art-is-a-meditation-upon-external-reality-rather-than-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“the hinder portion scalding-house good eating Curve B in addition to the usual baths and ablutions military police sumptuousness of the washhouse risking misstatements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-hinder-portion-scalding-house-good-eating-curve-b-in-addition-to/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Any genuine work of art generates new work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/any-genuine-work-of-art-generates-new-work/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) [Explore all 142 Donald Barthelme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## More Feel better quotes > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. 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Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [I wasn't happy with my body and I knew I had to do something to make myself feel better. I was looking at myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/i-wasn-t-happy-with-my-body-and-i-knew-i-had-to-do-something-to-make/) [Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There's nothing like overcoming something that scares you so much. Nothing feels better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wilkinson/there-s-nothing-like-overcoming-something-that-scares-you-so-much/) [Laura Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wilkinson/) > [When you're able to be honest with yourself about who you are and finally can present your authentic true self to the world, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/when-you-re-able-to-be-honest-with-yourself-about-who-you-are-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [If it makes you feel any better, this isn't my first apocalypse. There is hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/if-it-makes-you-feel-any-better-this-isn-t-my-first-apocalypse-there/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Well, I feel better than before after telling you that I love you, and then you said didn't love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-i-feel-better-than-before-after-telling-you-that-i-love-you-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [Ed Wood served a great purpose - mainly making writers feel better about their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-milholland/ed-wood-served-a-great-purpose-mainly-making-writers-feel-better/) [R. K. 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