The CDC explains that our mental health affects positive daily quotes of our life including our emotional, psychological and social well-being. You or someone close might have even been diagnosed with a mental health issue (which is more common than people think). According to the CDC, “More than 50% will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime.” Mental health difficulties take on a variety of forms that can look like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or many other conditions. Some can even be debilitating.
While we hope these inspirational mental health quotes can be comforting and encouraging words for you, especially on days that feel lonelier than others, speaking to a licensed therapist should always be the first step in advocating for yourself.
If you ever need to talk to someone, there are several resources that you can turn to, including: our guide on how to find a therapist, expert-recommended therapy apps and online support groups. In addition, you can visit mhanational.org and in an acute crisis or an emergency, don’t hesitate to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, or text “NAMI” to 741-741.
"You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you." — Dan Millman
"There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in." ― Leonard Cohen
"Deep breathing is our nervous system’s love language." — Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy
"I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth." —Kerry Washington, from HuffPost
"It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind." — Aisha Mirza
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"Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going." — Noam Shpancer, PhD
"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." ― Henry David Thoreau
"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle." — Julian Seifter
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." — Albus Dumbledore
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"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they're never weakness." — Brené Brown
"Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so." — Lemony Snicket
"Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." — Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh
"Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone." – Lisa Olivera
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"There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t." — John Green
"I cannot stand the words ‘Get over it’. All of us are under such pressure to put our problems in the past tense. Slow down. Don’t allow others to hurry your healing. It is a process, one that may take years, occasionally, even a lifetime – and that’s OK." — Beau Taplin
"Self-care is how you take your power back." — Lalah Delia
"My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it. — Emery Lord
"There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth." — Fred Rogers
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"‘Positive vibes only’ isn’t a thing. Humans have a wide range of emotions and that’s OK." — Molly Bahr, LMHC
"You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human." — Lori Deschene
"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." – Maya Angelou
"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." — Buddha
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"This feeling will pass. The fear is real but the danger is not.― Cammie McGovern
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. – Thich Nhat Hanh
"Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there." — Stephen Chbosky
"You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are. — Max Lucado
"There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet. — Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive
Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health — take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself. – Beyoncé, from an Elle interview
The best way out is always through. — Robert Frost
"We are not our trauma. We are not our brain chemistry. That’s part of who we are, but we’re so much more than that." ― Sam J. Miller
"Your mental health is everything – prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does." — Mel Robbins
"If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it." — Russell Wilson
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"Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain." — Matt Haig
"What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation." – Glenn Close
"Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health." – Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." – Robert Louis Stevenson
"Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them." – Joubert Botha
"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." – Louisa May Alcott
"Sometimes self care is exercise and eating right. Sometimes it’s spending time with loved ones or taking a nap. And sometimes it’s watching an entire season of TV in one weekend while you lounge around in your pajamas. Whatever soothes your soul." — Nanea Hoffman
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
