Our mental health goes through cycles with changing times, like our physical health. Sometimes, things are great, and other times, not so much. This realization makes it easier for many to talk about their mental health difficulties. Our selection of mental health quotes encourages us to be aware of the impact of mental health, start a conversation, and look out for the mental health of ourselves and others.
The World Health Organisation recently reported that one in every four, about 450 million people worldwide, has mental ill-health. These issues range from the mildest forms of anxiety disorders to severe conditions like chronic depression and schizophrenia.
Unfortunately, even with access to information, there’s still a stigma associated with mental illnesses that prevent the majority from seeking help. According to this WHO report, about 67% of persons dealing with mental issues do not seek professional help.
These mental health quotes bring to the fore the importance of these discussions. And specifically, to help raise awareness, reduce stigma, and point to the need for anyone with mental ill-health to seek help as they would for a physical ailment.
Related: To find out more about mental illness, mental health, its prevalence, and some of the work to address it check out our list of mental health facts and statistics.
It's so important that we all speak up on mental health.
Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson is an English singer-songwriter boasting of several UK Singles Charting songs, including "Rockabye" (on amazon), featuring Sean Paul. Anne-Marie more recently became a mental health advocate after revealing her mental health challenges.
After assuming she may be bi-polar, a trip to the psychotherapist revealed Anne-Marie to be an Empath instead. Speaking up and reaching out - whether to friends and family or professionals - is important.
Talking to a professional in particular brings you closer to a proper diagnosis. This means understanding yourself and the various ways you can improve your mental health.
Change the way we all talk to each other about our mental health.
We have seen that two heads are better than one when dealing with a mental health problem.
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, known as Kate Middleton, is a member of the British royal family. Middleton is especially active in dealing with issues surrounding mental health. In 2016, she initiated ‘Heads Together’ with Prince William to encourage people to open up about their mental health issues.
Middleton’s mental health quote reminds us that we should discuss the issue more open-mindedly.
We need to tear down the current stigma attached to speaking about mental illness. Research has identified public education as a way to encourage dialogue about mental health. And this is what Middleton intends to achieve through her work.
Mental health needs a great deal of attention. It's the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.
Famous as the lead singer of Adam and the Ants (Amazon), Adam Ant is an English singer. He scored 10 UK top ten hits as a solo artist, including three UK No. 1 singles. He also worked as an actor, appearing in over two dozen films and television episodes.
Adam Ant has battled with a range of mental health problems. Specifically, bouts of depression which led to drug misuse and overdose.
Members of different societies often see mental health issues as taboo topics. Speaking up about having one may garner a not-so-warm response from others.
Adam Ant’s mental health quote recommends talking regardless as an all-out approach to fight the stigma associated with this issue.
I keep moving ahead, as always, knowing deep down inside that I am a good person and that I am worthy of a good life.
~ Jonathan Harnisch
Mental health is something that we all need to talk about, and we need to take the stigma away from it. So let's raise the awareness. Let's let everybody know it's OK to have a mental illness and addiction problem.
~ Demi Lovato
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.
~ Bill Clinton
I believe the biggest stigma right now, with mental health, is that a lot of men are not talking about it.
Play-by-play announcer, Mauro Domenico Ranallo, is a Canadian sports commentator and mental health advocate. Ranallo lives with bipolar disorder after being diagnosed at 19 in 1989. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA, and WWE, and has experience in Canadian football, ice hockey, boxing, and kickboxing.
Talking about mental health can be challenging for men as society generally does not provide an environment where men can talk about their feelings. This may be why 3 of every 4 suicides are by men. It may also tell us why men are three times more likely to be alcohol dependent than women.
There are so many cliches associated with mental health - such as the 'fine line between lunacy and genius' - which are, on the whole, a load of rubbish.
One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart.
~ Linda Poindexter
The only journey is the journey within.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
The response from the beginning has been really, really wonderful and positive. People have always really responded to me talking about mental health.
Cleveland-born Lili Reinhart developed a love for singing, acting, and dancing at the relatively early age of 10. She began to pursue her acting and singing career at 18 in Los Angeles. Some of her more popular TV roles include playing Betty Cooper on Riverdale and Annabelle on Hustlers.
Reinhart is very open about her struggles with depression. Research has shown that talking may be as effective as medication when dealing with depression.
With Talk Therapy, we encourage people to talk to family, friends, or a therapist. And as her mental health quotes reflect, the reception to sharing can prove positive. Sadly, this is not always the case, and when we talk about our feelings, concern persists of an adverse reaction.
Related: Read more about how and why to Share Your Mental Health Story
I often say that the opposite of depression is not happiness but vitality.
Andrew Solomon is a New York-based writer who writes on politics, culture, and psychology. Solomon has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, Travel and Leisure, and other publications on a range of subjects, including depression. His book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (on amazon) won the National Book Award.
As a Ph.D. holder in psychology and as someone who battled with depression, Solomon’s view about depression is that many depressed people are happy in public.
But it’s not about the smiles in public. It’s about the vitality- the capacity to live, the energy to forge on- “seeping away from you” in the moments when you’re alone.
Anyone can be affected [by mental illness] despite their level of success or their place on the food chain. In fact, there is a good chance you know someone who is struggling with it since nearly 20% of American adults face some form of mental illness in their lifetime. So why aren't we talking about it?
~ Kristen Bell
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 other to hurry your healing. It is a process, one that may take years, occasionally, even a lifetime — and that's OK.
~ Beau Taplin
Starting a conversation about mental health struggles can prove helpful. These mental health quotes show that many people have spoken up about their own experiences to increase mental health awareness. A few encouraging words can go a long way.
Mental health is an area where people are embarrassed. They don't want to talk about it because somehow they feel they're a failure as a parent or, you know, they're embarrassed for their child or they want to protect their child, lots of very good reasons, but mental health, I feel, is something that you have to talk about.
I wanted to write a story about my struggles with depression and mental health. It's an issue that needs to be talked about more.
Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.
~ Fred Rogers
What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well.
~ Glenn Close
Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health.
~ Dr. Laura Fogel Mersy
The acknowledgement of having suffered evil is the greatest step forward in mental health.
~ Stefan Molyneux
Mental health isn't all of me, but it's a massive part of my journey and a massive part of my whole being.
Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah is a British fashion model who has been on the cover of American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Poland, and i-D. She was voted the best Model of the Year for models.com in 2017.
Aboah self-medicated with drugs from a young age due to depression. She attempted suicide by overdose in 2015, which put her in a four-day coma before recovering in a psychiatric hospital.
Overcoming poor mental health is no small feat. When you take care of your mental health, physiological needs become easier to manage. Aboah believes as she shares in this mental health quote, that being mentally healthy was key in her recovery.
“Nobody can save you but yourself, and you're worth saving. It's a war not easily won, but if anything is worth winning then this is it.”
~ Charles Bukowski
“Every negative belief weakens the partnership between mind and body.”
~ Deepak Chopra
“Take your time healing, as long as you want. Nobody else knows what you've been through. How could they know how long it will take to heal you?”
~ Abertoli
The experience I have had is that once you start talking about [experiencing a mental health struggle], you realize that actually you're part of quite a big club.
~ Prince Harry
There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn't.
~ John Green
Our picks of the best positive mental health quotes can highlight that sometimes life can feel overwhelming. Entering into the unknown can prove scary, while pain can chip away at our hope in life. Addiction and physical distress can further exacerbate or instigate suffering, leading to mental health needs and problems.
People who live with mental health conditions often find hope in connecting with others who may share the struggle. Others who’ve recovered or learned to manage their condition can find themselves motivated to share advice.
My recovery from manic depression has been an evolution, not a sudden miracle.
~ Patty Duke
We have made much progress in growing awareness of mental health and reducing stigma. Today, however, as these mental health quotes talk about, physical health often remains a priority due is more visible nature.
We need, ultimately, to be able to view mental health with the same clear-headedness we show when talking about physical health.
Matt Haig is a novelist and journalist. He has written fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre. His books include The Last Family In England, The Dead Fathers Club, and Shadow Forest (all on Amazon), which won the 2007 Nestle Children’s Book Prize. He suffered from a major depressive disorder at an early age, once attempting suicide by jumping off the roof.
We can often see signs of physical illnesses. With mental health, there’s a shroud of uncertainty. Its symptoms of illness can be challenging to notice.
Most people with varying mental health issues are unaware of their conditions. Haig’s mental health quote advises that we should place similar values on both psychological and physical health.
There is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone's business.
Indian psychiatrist and researcher Vikram Harshad Patel is best known for his work on child development and mental disability in low-resource areas.
He is the Co-Founder and former Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Co-Director of the Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions, and the Co-Founder of Sangath, an Indian NGO dedicated to research in the areas of child development, adolescent health, and mental health.
Mental health issues are too widespread for us to leave them entirely to professionals. We all have to lend a hand. These mental health quotes point out that if opportunities arise to listen, lend an ear to others, speak to and motivate others and be there for them.
We owe it to ourselves to do so and help them out on their mental health journey.
Mental health affects every aspect of your life. It's not just this neat little issue you can put into a box.
~ Shannon Purser
There is so much pain in the world, and most of these people keep theirs secret, rolling through agonizing lives in invisible wheelchairs, dressed in invisible bodycasts.
~ Andrew Solomon
Should one of your employees have a physical or mental health problem, I would argue that it is as much something for the employer as the individual to contend with.
I used to be embarrassed of my broken parts. Not anymore… Even in pieces, I'm worth having.
~ Alfa
Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.
~ B.K.S. Iyengar
The pain of severe depression is quite unimaginable to those who have not suffered it, and it kills in many instances because its anguish can no longer be borne. The prevention of many suicides will continue to be hindered until there is a general awareness of the nature of this pain.
~ William Styron
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
Being vulnerable is actually a strength and not a weakness — that's why more and more mental health is such an important thing to talk about. It's the same as being physically sick. And when you keep all those things inside, when you bottle them up, it makes you ill.
~ Cara Delevingne
Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health.
~ Lauren Fogel Mersy
A sad soul can be just as lethal as a germ.
~ John Steinbeck
About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis, but from the senselessness and emptiness of their lives. This can be defined as the general neurosis of our times.
~ Carl Gustav Jung
There isn't anybody out there who doesn't have a mental health issue, whether it's depression, anxiety, or how to cope with relationships. Having OCD is not an embarrassment anymore – for me. Just know that there is help and your life could be better if you go out and seek the help.
~ Howie Mandel
No one would ever say that someone with a broken arm or a broken leg is less than a whole person, but people say that or imply that all the time about people with mental illness.
~ Elyn R. Saks
I won't say that writing is therapy, but for me, the act of writing is therapy. The ability to be productive is good for my mental health. It's always better for me to be writing than vegetating on some couch.
Raymond E. Feist, alias Raymond Elias Gonzales III, is an American fantasy fiction author who wrote The Riftwar Cycle (amazon), novels, and short stories. This series includes the acclaimed The Riftwar Saga, The Riftwar Legacy, and The Empire Trilogy. Publishers have translated his books into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
Feist shares via his mental health quotes that being productive and intentional helps him manage his mental health issues. It helps to find a creative outlet where you can channel your feelings and let them out. Staying positively active helps to keep our minds away from dark places.
One of the things that baffles me … is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls.
~ Carrie Fisher
If you rely solely on medication to manage depression or anxiety, for example, you have done nothing to train the mind, so that when you come off the medication, you are just as vulnerable to a relapse as though you had never taken the medication.
~ Daniel Goleman
Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever.
~ Susanna Kaysen
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
You are the one thing in this world, above all other things, that you must never give up on. When I was in middle school, I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression and the help and support I received from my family and a therapist saved my life. Asking for help is the first step. You are more precious to this world than you'll ever know.
~ Lili Rhinehart
Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of an emotional storm: the anchor won't make the storm goes away, but it will hold you steady until it passes.
~ Russ Harris
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
There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet.
~ Matt Haig
The advice I'd give to somebody that's silently struggling is, you don't have to live that way. You don't have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it's really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.
~ Demi Lovato
PTSD is a whole-body tragedy, an integral human event of enormous proportions with massive repercussions.
~ Susan Pease Banitt
When you come out of the grips of a depression there is an incredible relief, but not one you feel allowed to celebrate. Instead, the feeling of victory is replaced with anxiety that it will happen again, and with shame and vulnerability when you see how your illness affected your family, your work, everything left untouched while you struggled to survive. We come back to life thinner, paler, weaker … but as survivors.
~ Jenny Lawson
I understand your pain. Trust me, I do. I've seen people go from the darkest moments in their lives to living a happy, fulfilling life . You can do it too. I believe in you. You are not a burden. You will never be a burden.
~ Sophie Turner
I knew well enough that one could fracture one's legs and arms and recover afterward, but I did not know that you could fracture the brain in your head and recover from that too.
~ Vincent van Gogh
Exercise keeps me occupied, which is good for my mental health.
Television Personality, Gail Porter, is a presenter, former model, and actress. She started her television career in children's TV before making her way out into modeling and presenting on mainstream TV.
Porter suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Her alopecia triggered several mental health issues in Porter's case, including bipolar disorder.
In September 2011, Porter shared her detainment story with BBC Radio 5 Live's Phil Williams. A hospital detained her under the Mental Health Act of 2007 for 17 days of treatment against her will after sending suicidal texts to her boyfriend.
Eventually, Porter was able to find some balance through her routines and habits, including exercising.
An effective way of improving mental illness is by exercising daily. Exercising releases feel-good chemical responses such as serotonin and endorphins, which help to improve your mood. These, in turn, help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
Strictly' has taught me that activity outside work is good for my mental health.
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
Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.
~ Nido Qubein
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
Take a deep breath to remember you are the child who lived through survival mode and the empowered adult who chose their healing.
~ Dr. Nicole LePera
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
Deep breathing is our nervous system's love language.
~ Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy
In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.
~ Abraham Maslow
She is beautiful piece of broken pottery, put back together by her own hands. And a critical world judges her cracks while missing the beauty of how she made herself whole again.
~ J.M. Storm
But no matter how much evil I see, I think it's important for everyone to understand that there is much more light than darkness.
~ Robert Uttaro
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
~ Buddha
Self-esteem is not a luxury; it is a profound spiritual need.
~ Nathaniel Branden
"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
The first step to safeguarding public mental health is removing its stigma. We need to dispel the myths surrounding mental illness through concerted effort.
Whereas mental health quotes might play a small role, our actions must reflect our desire to make a difference. A study by two researchers at the University of Chicago Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation offers a solution.
Counter this stigma with three steps: protest, education, and contact all towards mental health awareness.
We protest to diminish negative attitudes towards people living with mental illness effectively. Educate to propagate useful positive information. And contact through interactions with people who are ready to speak about their journeys with their mental health.
We can all do our bit to fight stigma and help improve social well-being and awareness of mental health concerns.
For many, mental health treatment and recovery is a process of engaging with those who care and professionals who can support their journey toward a healthy mental state.
Whereas at times, overcoming mental health concerns can feel like an all-consuming challenge, with support and encouragement those affected can find a way through to brighter times.
What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.”
~ Glenn Close
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
~ Aristotle
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
I hope to one day see a sea of people all wearing silver ribbons as a sign that they understand the secret battle, and as a celebration of the victories made each day as we individually pull ourselves up out of our foxholes to see our scars heal, and to remember what the sun looks like.
~ Jenny Lawson
My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.
~ Emery Lord
A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support.
I won't say that writing is therapy, but for me, the act of writing is therapy. The ability to be productive is good for my mental health. It's always better for me to be writing than vegetating on some couch.
Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity, because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer.
Most aid agencies do not even consider proposals to treat mental health problems; those that do think of it as a minor player, overshadowed by the pressing need to save lives by treating physical illness.
What I do now is I train in the mornings, and people ask me why I do it. I do it for two reasons: first of all, to keep in shape, but secondly, I think training, sport, and physical activity is really good for mental health.
Jen’s a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert. With a science degree from Babcock University Jen loves applying her research skills to craft editorial that connects with our global changemaker and readership audiences centered around topics including zero waste, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
Elsewhere Jen’s interests include the role that future technology and data have in helping us solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges.
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