31 Inspirational Mental Health Quotes
It's never been more important to talk about mental health. As these mental health quotes show, talking openly about mental health destroys dangerous taboos and normalizes treatment. In what is probably the most stressful year on record, one of the biggest threats to our mental health is the stigma surrounding it. Nearly one in five American adults lives with a mental illness—a number that's climbing—but the topic is all too often met with silence and shame.
By talking about it, we can change that. Here are 31 seriously inspirational mental health quotes—from Hollywood actors, pop stars, best-selling authors, psychologists, world leaders, and more—that prove the power we gain from speaking out.
1. Demi Lovato on the power of talking
“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,” she told The Cut.
2. Sophie Turner on loving yourself
“For me, getting out of bed and getting out of the house and learning to love yourself is the biggest challenge,” Sophie said on a podcast with Dr. Phil. “I feel much better. I've been going to therapy at CAST Centers, actually. I'm on medication and I love myself now, or more than I used to, I think.”
3. Selena Gomez on taking medication
“I found out I do suffer from mental health issues. And honestly, that was such a relief,” Gomez said in 2020. “I realized that there was a way to get help and to find people that you trust. I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed.”
4. Meghan Markle on the importance of checking in
“Let us commit to asking others, ‘Are you okay?’” the Duchess of Sussex wrote in a moving essay for The New York Times. “As much as we may disagree, as physically distanced as we may be, the truth is that we are more connected than ever because of all we have individually and collectively endured this year.”
5. Lili Reinhart on being proud of going to therapy
“Friendly reminder for anyone who needs to hear it: Therapy is never something to feel ashamed of,” Reinhart wrote in a series of Instagram Stories. “Everyone can benefit from seeing a therapist. Doesn't matter how old or ‘proud’ you're trying to be.”
6. Oprah Winfrey on the importance of conversation
“I'm a good talker,” the cultural icon and media mogul wrote on oprah.com. “But I soon learned that you can't talk someone out of depression. Mental illness is real. And like everything else in life, it operates on a spectrum. Though there are common symptoms, everyone experiences it differently. Yet so many people live in shame, hiding their struggles, not seeking help. We, as a culture, have not fully acknowledged how much help is needed. The only real shame is on us for not being willing to speak openly. For continuing to deny that mental health is related to our overall health. We need to start talking, and we need to start now.”
7. Lady Gaga on asking for help
“If you see somebody that's hurting, don't look away,” the pop icon said during the 2019 Grammys while accepting an award for “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. “And if you're hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up in your head with you.”
8. Edith Eva Eger on validating your pain
“There is no hierarchy of suffering,” the psychologist and Auschwitz survivor wrote in her 2017 memoir, The Choice: Embrace the Possible. “There’s nothing that makes my pain worse or better than yours, no graph on which we can plot the relative importance of one sorrow versus another.”
9. Barack Obama on combating stigma
“The brain is a body part too; we just know less about it,” the former president said during a national conference on mental health in 2013. “And there should be no shame in discussing or seeking help for treatable illnesses that affect too many people that we love. We've got to get rid of that embarrassment; we've got to get rid of that stigma. Too many Americans who struggle with mental health illnesses are still suffering in silence rather than seeking help, and we need to see it that men and women who would never hesitate to go see a doctor if they had a broken arm or came down with the flu, that they have that same attitude when it comes to their mental health.”
10. Beyoncé on guilt-free self-care
“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 icon told Elle in 2016. “The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself.”
11. Arianna Huffington on self-awareness
“Learning to build self-awareness is so important,” the author and businesswoman wrote for Fortune last year. “When we know ourselves—the sources of our stress, how we respond, and what actions help us recharge—we’re far better able to minimize the damage. We can’t eliminate stress, but we can learn to manage it.”
12. Troian Bellisario on normalizing your emotions
“It’s totally normal for you to feel like some days you might be overwhelmingly sad, or some days you might be very angry,” the Pretty Little Liars actor said in a 2019 video for Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf campaign. “Some days you might be really happy, and all of these feelings are real, and they’re legitimate, and they’re yours. And you just need to give them time and space. You don’t need to feel like you need to hide them or you need to push them away, because they’re your feelings and you are an incredible person, you’re a sensitive person, and there’s space for them.”
13. Terri Cheney on how to talk about mental illness
“After a lifetime of living with a mental illness, I’ve discovered that the most helpful thing someone can say to me when I’m suffering is ‘Tell me where it hurts,’” the author told Glamour in 2019. “I don’t want advice. I don’t want to be cheered up. I just want to be listened to and truly heard. The pain is much more bearable when I’m allowed to open up and share it.”
14. Tracy Clayton on anxiety
“Before I was formally introduced to my anxiety, I called it by a bunch of other names—nervousness, weakness, timidity,” the writer and podcast host shared in a 2015 essay for BuzzFeed. “Employers called it laziness, distractedness, and ‘not being a team player.’ My ex called it clinginess. My mother called it oversensitivity and immaturity. But we were all wrong, and learning that we were all wrong, that there was an actual medical thing going on, overwhelmed me because it meant that it wasn’t a tornado of character flaws that landed me where I was. The problem was not that I simply chose not to be ‘normal,’ that I allowed my fears, baseless as they may have been, to conquer and dictate so much of my life. The problem was my brain. It was a chemical imbalance, something physical, not imagined.”
15. Nikki Webber Allen on the power of feelings
“Having feelings isn't a sign of weakness,” the producer and activist said in a 2017 TED Talk. “Feelings mean we're human. And when we deny our humanity, it leaves us feeling empty inside, searching for ways to self-medicate in order to fill the void…. These days I share my story openly, and I ask others to share theirs too. I believe that's what it takes to help people who may be suffering in silence to know that they are not alone and to know that with help, they can heal.”
16. Chrissy Teigen on postpartum depression
“I have a great life. I have all the help I could need: John, my mother (who lives with us), a nanny. But postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I’m struggling. Sometimes I still do,” the cooking aficionado and tv personality told Glamour in 2017. “I’m speaking up now because I want people to know it can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone.”
17. Matt Haig on resiliency
“And one night I lay awake, feeling less than happy. I started to worry. The worries spiraled,” the author wrote in his 2015 book Reasons to Stay Alive, which chronicles his struggle with depression. “And for three weeks I was trapped in my own mind again. But this time I had weapons. One of them, maybe the most important, was this knowledge: I have been ill before, then well again. Wellness is possible.”
18. Anne Hathaway on collective suffering
“We all walk around sometimes feeling like we have an elephant on our chest, but we’re not alone,” the actor said in an interview with Glamour in 2019. “And we’re not less than because of that. We’re not unlovable because of that.”
19. Jon Hamm on the benefits of therapy
“Medical attention is medical attention whether it’s for your elbow or for your teeth or for your brain,” the actor said in a 2017 interview with InStyle. “And it’s important. We live in a world where to admit anything negative about yourself is seen as a weakness, when it’s actually a strength. It’s not a weak move to say, ‘I need help.’ In the long run it’s way better, because you have to fix it.”
20. Carrie Fisher on bipolar disorder
“One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder,” the late actor wrote in her 2008 book Wishful Drinking. “In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls. Not unlike a tour of Afghanistan (though the bombs and bullets, in this case, come from the inside). At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you're living with this illness and functioning at all, it's something to be proud of, not ashamed of.”
21. Fred Rogers on talking about your feelings
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable,” the children’s TV host said, according to the 2005 book Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers. “When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”
22. Selena Gomez on destigmatizing therapy
“I wish more people would talk about therapy,” the actor and singer told Vogue in 2017. “We girls, we're taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-back, the girl who's down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart.”
23. Shaun David Hutchinson on depression
“You may have depression, but you are not depression. Stop telling yourself you are,” the writer shared in an essay published in the 2018 book (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health. “Wake up every day and tell yourself that your thoughts and your words belong to you. No one is allowed to undermine who you are by defining you on their terms. Depression is a disease, a collection of symptoms. It is not a human being. It is not a person.”
24. Kristen Bell on the power of communal action
“We’re all on team human here, and let’s be honest—it’s not an easy team to be on,” the actor wrote in a 2016 essay published by Time magazine's Motto section. “It’s stressful and taxing and worrisome, but it’s also fulfilling and beautiful and bright. In order for all of us to experience the full breadth of team human, we have to communicate. Talking about how you’re feeling is the first step to helping yourself. Depression is a problem that actually has so many solutions. Let’s work together to find those solutions for each other and cast some light on a dark situation.”
25. Danielle Coke on nurturing a positive headspace
“I consistently tell myself and others that they are loved and worthy, regardless of how it feels right now,” the talented designer and illustrator told Glamour. “As a Black woman in America, it’s common to feel forgotten or ignored. Reminding myself that my voice has power helps me to stay the course when I feel like giving up.”
26. Rachel Griffin on acceptance
“Dear Person With Mental Illness,” the musician, songwriter, and mental health advocate wrote in an open letter published by The Huffington Post in 2015. “You are not a monster. You are a valuable, unique, wonderful human being who deserves everything grand that this life has to offer. Come out of the shadows and stand proudly in who you are. You are not damaged. You are whole, regardless of having a mental illness. I like you the way you are. I wouldn't change you. I see you differently than you see yourself. I am not afraid of you or your illness...I am amazed by you. I am amazed by your courage, willpower, gifts, and talents. I accept you, and your worlds of light and darkness.”
27. David D. Burns on avoiding labels
“Labeling yourself is not only self-defeating; it is irrational,” the psychiatrist wrote in his book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, first published in 1980. “Your self cannot be equated with any one thing you do. Your life is a complex and ever-changing flow of thoughts, emotions, and actions. To put it another way, you are more like a river than a statue. Stop trying to define yourself with negative labels—they are overly simplistic and wrong.”
28. Glennon Doyle on taking back your feed
“I have been following people who make me feel like shit for a decade, and suddenly I'm just editing what I consume like nobody's business. I used to feel like, well, this person makes me feel bad about myself, but it shouldn't. It shouldn't make me feel bad, so I will keep following this person. No more of that,” the New York Times best-selling author and mental health advocate told Glamour. “You have to be so careful that you're following people that challenge you in good ways—not the wrong ways.”
29. Jessamyn Stanley on accepting when you’re not okay
“I think that there’s this fear of admitting vulnerability and sensitivity,” the author of Every Body Yoga and founder of The Underbelly shared with Glamour in 2020. “I’ve found so much power through just being like, Yeah, no, I’m not okay and this is not okay. Because when I’m able to accept that, I’m able to stand up for what I actually need.”
30. Billie Eilish on being kind to yourself
“I just grab them by the shoulders and I’m like, ‘Please take care of yourself and be good to yourself and be nice to yourself,’” the grammy award-winning singer told Gayle King in an exclusive interview in 2020. ‘Don’t take that extra step and hurt yourself further.’”
31. Millie Bobby Brown on healthy distractions
“Personally, I struggle with anxiety,” the actor shared with Glamour U.K. in 2020. “I have learned to manage it in ways that a lot of people learn to manage things like breathing exercises or distracting your mind and my hobbies help distract me from being anxious. Driving takes my anxiety away, actually. I thought it would heighten it. I just don't think about anything.”
Originally Appeared on Glamour
