I have to admit, I used to be addicted to mental health quotes. I still love them but nowadays I see them differently then I used to. Back during my darkest days with an anxiety disorder I read these quotes in the hopes of something ‘clicking’ in my brain which would kickstart my anxiety healing. Boy did that fail.
The best mental health quotes get you thinking, analyzing your life, and help to create a clear intention for the day ahead.
Notice the difference. One strategy is based around needing external motivation, hoping for change, and being self critical if things don’t change for the better. The opposing strategy allows an anxiety sufferer to spend more time thinking about these mental health quotes, relating them to how they got to this state, and what the right mindset is for change.
Passive vs Active!
You can’t be passive on this journey towards healing anxiety. You must be an active participant in your healing daily with the help of your creative intelligence (intuition) within. A passive person waits for healing to arise, an active healer lays one brick on top of another towards the house (identity) they want to live in forever.
Here are my top 30 mental health quotes to get you moving in an inspired direction:
- “The best revenge is to be unlike him who caused the injury.” – Marcos Aurelius
The former emperor of Rome and Stoic Marcos Aurelius reminds us that blame has no place in inner healing. We must learn the lessons we need to from the people who we felt didn’t do their job well enough from our past, and work to be different.
2. “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
I’m not too familiar with this persons work, however I definitely wanted to add this saying to the list of mental health quotes. Giving up on your negative thoughts, emotional distress, unconscious hurtful imagination is ok. Giving up on yourself however is not an option, ever.
3. “You may have to fight a battle more than once.” – Margaret Thatcher
When we do something good for ourselves that moves us in a positive direction we may need to do it again, and again, and yes… again! The battles we face are internal, not external. Our perceptions and thoughts are what we battle with daily and as the inner dialogues rage on we learn from our latest wins, and setbacks.
4. “Don’t feel guilty for taking a break.” – Unknown
Taking a break could be silent time, bath time, nature time, anything that says ‘this is me time!’ Many people in todays world get too caught up in the next thing to do and talk themselves out of taking a break for themselves. You deserve it, time spent on you is never a waste of time, and you don’t want to be the richest person in the graveyard, remember that.
5. “Life, if well lived, is long enough.” – Seneca
One of the most meaningful mental health quotes you could hear. The saying ‘life is short’ is garbage. Life is long enough if you live it the right way, Seneca tells us. Living the right way means taking daily strides to strengthen our mindfulness, respond to anything we deem ‘negative’ in a broad minded manner, and tapping into a purpose that fulfills us like nothing else.
6. “Once the subconscious mind accepts an idea, it begins to execute it.” – Joseph Murphy
Personally I don’t believe there’s anyone better than Joseph Murphy when it comes to understanding the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind can’t differentiate between a ‘bad’ thought and a ‘good’ thought. Whichever thought we give more attention to, get emotional around, and act on will determine our most steady emotional states.
7. “Don’t shrink for people.” – Unknown
People pleasing and inferiority is at the forefront of many distressed peoples lives as they put their personal goals on the shelf. There is no virtue in shrinking in the face of other peoples words, appearances, or otherwise. Stop shrinking, start growing (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually of course).
8. “You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own.” – Hannah Baker
Truth spoken. Many anxiety sufferers believe that they are very good mind readers, when in fact they’re not. As much as people may look like they’re living a more pleasant life than yours, it’s very likely that they’ve got deeper problems than yours. Don’t believe everything you think, or feel (this YouTube video will inspire a new way of thinking).
9. “You don’t always need to know where your life is headed. Give the uncertain sides of life a chance and you will be met with miracles.” – Me
I wanted to add this onto our list of mental health quotes because it’s a message I have for everyone reading. The balance between the need for certainty and the faith in uncertainty holds the key to freedom. Letting go is a practice that must be implemented daily, and we must look for the opportunities to implement.
10. “There’s always anxiety when you start a new job. you’re the one guy who doesn’t know where the ketchup is.” – Jon Stewart
Love it. Jon tells us that anxiety many times isn’t thought up, but an unconscious response to a potential threat. In this case the unfamiliar world of starting a new job comes with many potential disasters, like where things are located. Don’t worry though, the people around you aren’t as focused on you as you think they are, they’re trying to uphold their own self image.
It’s time to hear from you warrior. Which one of these mental health quotes spoke to you the deepest? Which one got you thinking about your own life and who you’ve become? As we evaluate we understand, as we understand ourselves and the world better we begin healing. That’s the exact path you’re headed towards, embrace it.
