By Elizabeth Herman
Feeling down and out? These inspirational quotes for depression and anxiety will give you a boost. Plus, options for how to reduce them.
If you’re depressed and anxious, you’re not alone. You can find encouragement in many places. When depression and anxiety appear in your life, it may seem overwhelming. But ordinary people and achievers like Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi overcame it. So can you.
Here are some mental health quotes from public figures about depression and anxiety. While the two often go hand in hand, they differ from one another. Anxiety involves worry and fear about future pain. Depression depletes your energy with debilitating sadness and loss of hope. Some of the following positive quotes along with techniques from the Art of Living can ease the bumps in your road.
Inspirational quotes for depression sufferers
1. Change will come: “Life is a combination of happiness and pain. Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. Having a broad perspective on life gives you the strength to move forward through painful times. Know that you are very much needed in this world. With all its infinite possibilities, this life is a gift for it can become a fountain of joy and happiness not just for oneself but for many others as well.” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
With your attention on each breath, you see your life progressing from moment to moment. Your view of the world includes greater potential. You can look to various practices for insight on how to move on. While depressed feelings make you feel stuck in suffering, that’s an illusion. You can move on, and feelings will change. Make use of this mental health quote.
Ideas from spiritual wisdom, breathing, yoga, and meditation will help transform you. The situation you're in can change as soon as you choose to change it.
2. Resilience: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius
The determination to bounce back from failures is one of the best human traits. There's resilience within you, even in the most traumatic, heart-wrenching situations. To access these strengths, meditation provides a quiet way to get in touch with that inner source of grit.
3. Low energy: “Doubt comes when your energy is low, when the body and mind feel exhausted. Someone who is full of enthusiasm or energy does not get doubts.”~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
You can choose to boost your energy and enthusiasm with techniques from Art of Living. Yoga, SKY Breath Meditation, and spiritual wisdom can create such relief. A rainy day can turn sunny the same way your effective use of sources of energy can bring you inner peace.
4. Beautiful people: “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat. They’ve 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
Loss isn't a source of shame, but a source of beauty. The grief and sadness you may experience can transform you into a more beautiful person. As you grow in wisdom, you gain perspective on the negative reactions that threaten to stifle you. Acceptance of pain can stop it in its tracks, to help you love yourself and avoid a blow-up into mental illness. For your own life’s sake, Art of Living teaches such acceptance and positivity.
5. Born to soar: “You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.” ~ Rumi
Getting in touch with your potential for happiness is another benefit. This process will help you in overcoming depression through meditation and yoga. The breath forms a link between your mind, your emotions, and your true self. With SKY Breath Meditation, the tools to see your own true worth become easier to access. You’re much more than a depressed person!
6. Authenticity: “If we live our lives on the superficial level, life becomes depressing. But when we connect with each other from the heart, then that makes life beautiful and authentic.” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Listening to your heart can make your relationships more satisfying. To stop the dry feelings that come with depression, an authentic approach helps. Be yourself without compromise in any challenging circumstance.
7. What to avoid: “Well, the mantra for depression is - 'What about me, what about me?' One sure technique to get depressed is sitting, doing nothing. If you think, ‘What about me, what about me, what will happen to me?’ You are sure to get depressed this way!” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
If you know what to avoid, you can prevent episodes of depression. Keeping your mind on others can provide you with self-care and lessen the impact of your own problems. Find your joy thinking of others!
Inspirational quotes for anxiety sufferers
1. Accepting care: “Anxiety can go away through pranayama, knowledge, and meditation, and knowing that someone is taking care of you.” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
The way we respond to challenges in our mind is more important than outward rewards. With this intrinsic value in mind, Art of Living offers ways to overcome your fears. Learn the skills you need so you can prevent panic attacks with confidence. Yoga, meditation, wisdom, and breathing are some of these lifelong tools.
2. Knowing your power: “When you’re feeling anxious, remember that you’re still you. You are not anxiety. Whenever you feel otherwise, remember that’s the anxiety talking. You are still you and hold the power in every moment.” – Deanne Repich
Anxiety is an experience that comes and goes. It doesn't change who you are. Meditation shows you that your true essence exists despite any transitory feelings. Throughout your life, your power to control your mind and emotions will be yours alone. Nobody can make you stop worrying. Worrying is a choice and can become a habit if you choose not to stop it.
3. Feelings: “The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time. When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves.” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Your mind may become overactive when you feel anxious. But if you keep paying attention, the feeling in your heart will change. You can keep your mind changing and let go of fearful thoughts. Stay with your heart and don't overthink situations that give you anxiety. Meditation will allow you to let go of too much thinking and will keep you in touch with your heart.
4. Fear of mistakes: “The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” – John C. Maxwell
Everyone makes mistakes. But the possibility that you will flub up is no reason to hang back and stop being active. You can stay with your yoga and breathing meditation practices despite your imperfections. Having hope and good humor is a great thing.
5. Take the next steps: “Don’t wait until everything is right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger. You’ll be more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” – Po Bronson
As soon as you make the first move towards a positive goal, you change your life. Your gradual progress will give you tangible feelings of strength. Motivation to grow your inner emotional life will help you find unexpected kindness.
6. Make your worries bigger! “We should start worrying about the whole world instead of ourselves.” ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
If we’ve got to worry, why not worry for the greater good of people? Now, worrying doesn’t make any difference—working does. And this effort can help you get out of anxiety too. Would you like to know how selfless service can help you get out of anxiety?
People who are less privileged than us cannot enjoy the pleasures of life as we do. Even a small selfless gesture can make a lot of difference in their lives. To know that you are the reason for someone’s happiness can make you so happy. This enthusiasm will help you keep emotions like stress, anxiety, and fear at bay. Small acts like tutoring a needy student or providing health services to the poor make a lot of difference.
Make sure you meditate after doing service work, or you’ll experience burnout. In fact, meditating afterward will make meditation deeper. It will also address your most prominent mental health issue.
Are you worried about a severed relationship, no hike in salary, and your competitors? Your ability to handle imperfection makes your skill set applicable to a wide range of teams. The energy you gain will send anxiety into the background. It will disappear in favor of your lifelong commitment to a positive attitude.
You can move past anxiety and depression. Check out Beyond Breath - A FREE Breath & Meditation Online Session With a Live Instructor. It will introduce you to SKY Breath Meditation. This technique has helped millions of people around the world to overcome anxiety and depression.
Elizabeth Herman is a long time meditator, a trained yoga teacher, and a PhD in English, with concentrations in Rhetoric and Composition, and Literature. She offers writing support to clients, teaches locally, and volunteers for a better world.
