Inspiring Change

Quotations about depression and other mental health struggles, such as those below, can help individuals feel less alone and possibly even inspire them to seek treatment and/or find other ways to lead their best lives. A first step is accepting your diagnosis while not letting it define you. Although it can sometimes take all of your energy simply to stay afloat, therapy can help you realize what you need and provide the confidence to make necessary decisions for yourself, as can making a list of your personal and academic or professional goals. When doing the latter, be realistic and do not over-schedule yourself. Only alter one behavior at a time and consider involving a friend or family member and/or joining a support group to help stay motivated and accountable.

While routines can improve efficiency and increase feelings of safety and security, small changes of pace can rejuvenate a monotonous schedule. Try attending a sporting event, baking and sharing the results with family or friends, creating a collage that represents the “real you,” daydreaming, doing a crossword puzzle, enjoying a free concert, fixing something that is broken (after watching an online tutorial if necessary), forgiving yourself or someone else, reading for fun, reflecting on your successes, taking a nap, treating yourself to ice cream, visiting the National Zoo or watching a sunset. Eating dinner with your family and seeing people in person rather than relying on social media and messaging or texting alone to keep in touch with friends can help you build and strengthen supportive relationships. Find a hobby that challenges you, such as learning to paint, starting a new sport or writing a blog. Create a playlist of songs that define recovery for you and listen to it when you need support or inspiration.

If you are worried about a friend or loved one, helping does not mean diagnosing him/her or providing free medical advice. Warning signs can include someone becoming angry for no reason, harming himself or herself or taking risks that could be dangerous or destructive, and being unconcerned about his or her schoolwork. Have a plan about what you are going to say, approach him/her when he/she is alone and try a conversation starter like, “You have not seemed like yourself lately. Is everything okay?”or “When you are ready to talk, I am here to listen.” Use “I” statements; listen to what he or she has to say in a non-judgmental way, asking questions for clarification and accepting everything that he or she has to say as being true from his or her perspective; and offer to work with him or her to find resources. (If you are angry, ensure that it is directed at a behavior rather than the person himself or herself.) Remember that unless someone is in danger of hurting himself/herself or others, seeking help is his/her decision.

Treatment is effective and getting assistance is a sign of strength rather than weakness. Intentionally making changes can help someone with depression or another mental health condition feel like some of the emotional weight he or she experiences has lifted. It is possible to recover and enjoy a full, healthy and rewarding life. Accept the things you cannot alter and try to concentrate on what you can control, understanding that “Hurt People Will Hurt People. But Healed People Heal People.”

• “If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.” E. Joseph Cossman (creator of the Ant Farm and the Spud Gun and pioneer of the television infomercial)

• “If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather. Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest, and best things you will ever do.” Stephen Fry (British actor, comedian and writer)

• “You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” Louise Hay (a founder of the self-help movement who published Heal Your Body in 1976)

• “There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, ‘There now, hang on, you’ll get over it.’ Sadness is more or less like a head cold – with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.” The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

• “You say you’re ‘depressed’—all I see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn’t mean you’re defective—it just means you’re human.” Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

• “Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don’t believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be strong; take your pills. Exercise because it’s good for you even if every step weighs a thousand pounds. Eat when food itself disgusts you. Reason with yourself when you have lost your reason.” The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

• “That’s the thing about depression: a human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.” Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

• “When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we,’ even illness becomes wellness.” Attributed to Malcom X