Depression Recovery Quotes

“I saw a meme the other day with a picture of Marilyn Manson and Robin Williams. It said about the former, this isn’t the face of depression, and about the latter, this is. This really struck a chord and it’s been on my mind since then. As someone who has continuously dipped in and out of chronic depression and anxiety for close to three decades now, and I’ve never previously spoken about the subject, I finally thought it was time I did.
These days it’s trendy for people to think they’re cool and understanding about mental illness, posting memes and such to indicate so. But the reality is far different to that. It seems most people think if they publicly display such understanding then perhaps a friend will come to them, open up, and calmly discuss their problems. This will not happen. For someone in that seemingly hopeless void of depression and anxiety the last thing they are likely to do is acknowledge it, let alone talk about it. Even if broached by a friend they will probably deny there is a problem and feel even more distanced from the rest of the world.
So nobody can do anything to help, right? No. If right now you suspect one of your friends is suffering like this then you’re probably right. If right now you think that none of your friends are suffering like this then you’re probably wrong. By all means make your public affirmations of understanding, but at least take on board that an attempt to connect on this subject by someone you care about could well be cryptic and indirect.
When we hear of celebrities who suffered and finally took their own lives the message tends to be that so many close friends had no idea. This is woeful, but it’s also great, right? Because by not knowing there was a problem there is no burden of responsibility on anyone else. This is another huge misconception, that by acknowledging an indirect attempt to connect on such a complex issue that somehow you are accepting responsibility to fix it. This is not the case. You don’t have to find a solution. Maybe just listen. Many times over the years I’ve seen people recoil when they suspect that perhaps that is the direct a conversation is about to turn, and they desperately scramble for anything that can immediately change the subject. By acknowledging you’ve heard and understood doesn’t mean you are picking up their burden and carrying it for them.
Anyway, I’ve said my piece. And please don’t think this is me reaching out for help. If this was my current mindset the last thing I’d ever do is write something like this, let alone share it.”
― R.D. Ronald

“Do you know that feeling? When everything you do seems like a struggle. Where you dont wanna leave the house because you know everyone is judging you. Where you cant even ask for directions in fear that they critise you. Where everyone always seems to be picking out your flaws. That feeling where you feel so damn sick for no reason.
Do you know that feeling where you look in the mirror and completly hate what you see. When you grab handfuls and handfuls of fat and just want to cut it all off. That feeling when you see other beautiful girls and just wish you looked like them. When you compare yourself to everyone you meet. When you realise why no one ever showed intrest in you. That feeling where you become so self conscious you dont even turn up at school. That feeling when you feel so disappointed in who you are and everything you have become. That feeling when every bite makes you wanna be sick. When hunger is more satifying that food. The feeling of failure when you eat a meal.
Do you know that feeling when you cant run as far as your class. Fear knowing that everyone thinks of you as the"Unfit FAT BITCH" That feeling when you just wanna let it all out but you dont wanna look weak. The fear you have in class when you dont understand something but your too afraid to ask for help. The feeling of being to ashamed to stand up for yourself.
Do you know the feeling when your deepest fear becomes a reality. Fear that you will NEVER be good enough. When you feel as if you deserve all the pain you give yourself. When you finally understand why everyone hates you. FINALLY realising the harsh truth. Understanding that every cut, every burn, every bruise you have even given yourself, you deserved. In fact you deserved worse. That feeling when you believe you deserve constant and brutal pain.
Do you know what it feels like to just want to give up. When you just want all the pain to end but you want it to continue? Or am i just insane”
― Anonymous.

“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

“When I think how sometimes people can be brave enough to overcome any fear, any hardship, it gives me a feeling I can hardly describe. To charge right at the things that are painful and difficult, break through to the other side, and take pleasure in that - don't you think that's truly fantastic? The greater the suffering, the greater the joy in overcoming it.”
― Genzaburo Yoshino, How Do You Live?

“The mind that constantly wanders through the past is always a terrible mess.”
― Marwane Caber, THE PAST

“An outrageous instinct to love and be loved blinded your arms to lines of propriety––Women and Men, Christians and Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, white, black, red, brown. An outrageous instinct to love and be loved executed your brain every hour on the hour.”
― Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams

“Her friends had made it... but she did not want to die.

She wanted to live, and live well, and live happily.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“I feel nothing, Nesta said silently. Only the sight of Feyre on Death's threshold kept her from forgetting why she was here, what she needed to do.

Is that not what you wanted? To feel nothing?

I thought that was what I wanted. Nesta surveyed the people around her. Her sisters, Cassian, who had been willing to plunge a dagger into his heart rather than harm her. But no longer. When the female voice didn't press her, Nesta went on, I want to feel everything. I want to embrace it with my whole heart.

Even the things that hurt and hunt you? Only curiosity laced the question.

Nesta allowed herself a breath to ponder it, stilling her mind once more. We need those things in order to appreciate the good. Some days might be more difficult than others, but... I want to experience all of it, live through all of it. With them.

The wise, soft voice whispered, So live, Nesta Archeron.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“The tight ball of muck inside me—I opened it. I opened the shame, and it crumbled next to yours. This connection—the one I didn’t think we were going to have—let some of my muck go. And when it left my body, it evaporated into nothing. It had been living in me, but as soon as it was exposed, it disappeared.”
― Ashley Marie Berry, Separate Things: A Memoir

“When we are sad about our fate, we begin to seek even the smallest positive details, in order to keep our spirits up. Otherwise, one can go insane, worrying about it all day long, when one can’t change a thing.”
― Tamuna Tsertsvadze, The Prison of Deviants

“Perhaps the future did not need to be planned- she could just take it one day at a time. As long as she had Cassian at her side, her friends with her, she could do it. Face it. They wouldn't let her fall back into that pit. Cassian would never let her fall again.

But if she did fall... he'd be waiting for her at the top again. Hand outstretched. She didn't deserve it, but she'd endeavour to be worthy of him.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“Depression starts from a deeply rooted idea, that as a human being, you are a sinner. Even if you are agnostic, atheistic, or a mystic, sin is a belief that you have violated some internal law of ethics, which causes an inability to regain your divine state of love. It is Fault. Disobedience to a higher power, god, or archetype is another definition from separation of peace of mind.

Even if the god or archetype cannot be proven, it still exists in your mind, thus fault is real in your mind. It's the idea that you have broken an internal rule that separates you from delivery of a promise. This creates depression, which is a long standing feeling of pain due to permanent loss. It is not short term loss. It is complete loss that can never be returned.

When you birthed yourself into this reality, you were vast, elegant, exquisite, intelligent, infinite, and beautiful beyond understanding. You came into this time and space matrix to gain a soul, and that required a lot of experience. Experience is painful. Experience is expansive. Close the door by accepting the loss.”
― Deborah Bravandt

“My Mother

They are killing her again.
She said she did it
One year in every ten,
But they do it annually, or weekly,
Some even do it daily,
Carrying her death around in their heads
And practicing it. She saves them
The trouble of their own;
They can die through her
Without ever making
The decision. My buried mother
Is up-dug for repeat performances.

Now they want to make a film
For anyone lacking the ability
To imagine the body, head in oven,
Orphaning children. Then
It can be rewound
So they can watch her die
Right from the beginning again.

The peanut eaters, entertained
At my mother’s death, will go home,
Each carrying their memory of her,
Lifeless – a souvenir.
Maybe they’ll buy the video.

Watching someone on TV
Means all they have to do
Is press ‘pause’
If they want to boil a kettle,
While my mother holds her breath on screen
To finish dying after tea.
The filmmakers have collected
The body parts,
They want me to see.
They require dressings to cover the joins
And disguise the prosthetics
In their remake of my mother;
They want to use her poetry
As stitching and sutures
To give it credibility.
They think I should love it –
Having her back again, they think
I should give them my mother’s words
To fill the mouth of their monster,
Their Sylvia Suicide Doll,
Who will walk and talk
And die at will,
And die, and die
And forever be dying.”
― Frieda Hughes, The Book of Mirrors

“Nesta didn't care that she was covered in sweat, wearing her leathers amongst a bejewelled crowd. Not as she staggered onto the veranda at the top of the House and gaped at the stars raining across the bowl of the sky. They zoomed by so close some sparked against the stones, leaving glowing dust in their wake.

She had a vague sense of Cassian and Mor and Azriel nearby, of Feyre and Rhys and Lucien, of Elain and Varian and Helion. Of Kallias and Viviane, also swollen with child and glowing with joy and strength. Nesta smiled in greeting and left them blinking, but she forgot them within a moment because the stars, the stars, the stars...

She hadn't realised that such beauty existed in the world. That she might feel so full from wonder it could hurt, like her body couldn't contain all of it. And she didn't know why she cried then, but the tears began rolling down her face.

The world was beautiful, and she was so grateful to be in it. To be alive, to be here, to see this. She stuck out a hand over the railing, grazing a star as it shot past, and her fingers came away glowing with blue and green dust. She laughed, a sound of pure joy, and she cried more, because that joy was a miracle.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“She laughed, a sound of pure joy, and she cried more, because that joy was a miracle.

'That's a sound I never thought to hear from you, girl,' Amren said beside her.

The delicate female was regal in a gown of light grey, diamonds at her throat and wrists, her usual black bob silvered with the starlight.

Nesta wiped away her tears, smearing the stardust upon her cheeks and not caring. For a long moment, her throat worked, trying to sort through all that sought to rise from her chest. Amren just held her stare, waiting.

Nesta fell to one knee and bowed her head. 'I am sorry.'

Amren made a sound of surprise, and Nesta knew others were watching, but she didn't care. She kept her head lowered and let the words flow from her heart. 'You gave me kindness, and respect, and your time, and I treated them like garbage. You told me the truth, and I did not want to hear it. I was jealous, and scared, and too proud to admit it. But losing your friendship is a loss I can't endure.'

Amren said nothing, and Nesta lifted her head to find the female smiling, something like wonder on her face. Amren's eyes became lined with silver, a hint of how they had once been. 'I went poking about the House when we arrived an hour ago. I saw what you did to the place.'

Nesta's brow furrowed. She hadn't changed anything.

Amren grabbed Nesta under the shoulder, hauling her up. 'The House sings. I can hear it in the stone. And when I spoke to it, it answered. Granted, it gave me a pile of romance novels by the end of it, but... you caused this House to come alive, girl.'

'I didn't do anything.'

'You Made the House,' Amren said, smiling again, a slash of red and white in the glowing dark. 'When you arrived here, what did you wish for most?'

Nesta considered, watching a few stars whiz past. 'A friend. Deep down, I wanted a friend.'

'So you Made one. Your power brought the House to life with a silent wish born from loneliness and desperate need.'

'But my power only creates terrible things. The House is good,' Nesta breathed.

'Is it?'

Nesta considered. 'The darkness in the pit of the library- it's the heart of the House.'

Amren nodded. 'And where is it now?'

'It hasn't made an appearance in weeks. But it's still there. I think it's just... being managed. Maybe it's the House's knowledge that I'm aware of it, and didn't judge it, makes it easier to keep in check.'

Amren put a hand above Nesta's heart. 'That's the key, isn't it? To know the darkness will always remain, but how you choose to face it, handle it... that's the important part. To not let it consume. To focus upon the good, the things that fill you with wonder.' She gestured to the stars zooming past. 'The struggle with that darkness is worth it, just to see such things.'

But Nesta's gaze had slid from the stars- finding a familiar face in the crowd, dancing with Mor. Laughing, his head thrown back. So beautiful she had no words for it.

Amren chuckled gently. 'And worth it for that, too.'

Nesta looked back at her friend. Amren smiled, and her face became as lovely as Cassian's, as the stars arching past. 'Welcome back to the Night Court, Nesta Archeron.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“Commit to falling in love with the good in the world. Stop to notice the beauty in all things. And with time, but no rush, remember how you are just another part of the universe, just like the birds, trees, mosses, and animals that warm your heart.”
― Lucy Fuggle, Your Life in Bloom: A Manual on Courage and Finding Your Path for When You Need it Most

“I needed to escape my loneliness. I needed comfort and companionship. I needed certainty and faith and stability. But the truth is that I can’t fix that all now. Instead, I made a commitment to noticing. I made it my job to seek the beauty around me; to witness the little magic shows of nature unveiling in hedgerows and verges and the changing of the seasons. By turning my attention outward and finding places and creatures to love, I found beauty to focus on. I had reasons to stay.”
― Lucy Fuggle, Your Life in Bloom: A Manual on Courage and Finding Your Path for When You Need it Most

“We must, especially within the Church, come to terms with the reality that a person with depression doesn’t always appear sad. Mental illness can often be invisible. The one struggling might be bubbly, accomplished, and concerned about their appearance. There is this filter applied so no one can see the inner chaos that silently suffocates them under the weight of despair.”
― Julie Busler, Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness

“Once a toxic thought pattern has been recognized, applying the Word of God comes next. Looking at the thoughts that batter your brain through the eyes of Scripture will lead to hope in a way that therapy alone is found wanting.”
― Julie Busler, Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness

“A positive mindset can be a gateway to a positive life.”
― Angel Moreira

“I can't wait to see it.'

And for the first time, with these two friends beside her, with a mate waiting for her... it was true.

Nesta couldn't wait to see the future that unfolded. All of it.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A ​Court of Silver Flames

“I rejoice that I have a heart big enough to break over and over again.”
― Amy Weintraub, Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga

“Always and never are the absolutes that lose sight of eternity as our feelings blind our knowledge. There is a day unbeknownst to us that the imperfect will pass away as the perfect will be ushered in for all eternity. This is good news that challenges always and never. Jesus is our hope. As a Christian, whose eternity is secured through Christ, this earth is the only hell you will ever know. Your pain has an expiration date. Your mental struggles will cease to exist.”
― Julie Busler, Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness

“In a moment of desperation, Jesus could have spoken new revelations or said nothing, but He chose the cling to the written Word as His sword in the battle. We cannot live on bread—natural means—alone. We cannot rely solely on medication or any other means that has been provided for us in the wilderness, but only by the Word of God. Jesus knew this and He lived this. So for us, what does that look like? It means getting up and opening up the Bible and reading even when we don’t feel like it or even when only a few words is the best we can do, because the Word really does transform our thinking and become our weapon in war.”
― Julie Busler, Joyful Sorrow: Breaking Through the Darkness of Mental Illness

“To live with great wisdom and compassion is possible for anyone who genuinely undertakes a training of their heart and mind. What better thing to do with our life?”
― Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life

“You are not expected to have hope when everything seems to be hopeless.You can't look at the bright side when you feel yourself to be at the bottom of the pit.The pain you feel is there to make your stronger no matter how much you hate it and you will realize it when things become alright.But this is not the time to feel alright.”
― Arisha zaffar

“I struggle to speak from my heart because I've been taught to silence my emotions. I've been conditioned to think my opinion doesn't matter and no one wants to hear it. But that's not true. That's not how I should conduct myself moving forward I'm going to surround myself with people who want to check in on me, and who genuinely care about my well-being.”
― Rifa Coolheart

“Trust that you will get to the other side of the pain. You really will. It won't last forever. It can't. It won't have the energy - it will fizzle out, just like a rain storm. The sun will come out again. Blue skies will replace the grey, stormy ones. Always keep that in mind, especially when you feel like giving up, or that you "just can't" anymore. That is a temporary feeling that, just like the storm itself, "this too shall pass." If you can't think of anything else in a moment of darkness - remember, the true cliche' that "it is usually the darkest just before the dawn," and "This too shall pass." And then just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep keepin' on. Hold on. Hold out. Hold in. Just hold if that is all you can do. It's okay. When the bright light returns - and it ALWAYS does - it will all make more sense. The illusions and distortions of the darkness will show their true face for what they were - often mirages and monsters of our own making in the wee hours of the storm. Just remind yourself, again and again - "This too shall pass." And, just like that - it will. And you will be wiser, stronger, braver, and better for it. Like it or not.”
― Connie Kerbs

“i’ve always known why i incarnated into this existence. even though my soul didn’t wanna come here, a duty needed to be fulfilled (i’m a baby soul). i saw this manifest through my art and soul ova journey. the work evolved with “lady leader” and quarterly healing challenges. unfortunately, i stopped following the coordinates and wandered, about, a bit. the wandering brought on a ton of suffering. i descended into the abyss of depression that tried to swallow me into the -other-dimension that was at war with where i came from. it took a minute to crawl out of the spiral of stygian darkness. the spiral that continues to beckon from down below.”
― Malebo Sephodi

“Recognizing the blessings within our complaints can be beneficial to us in life.”
― Angel Moreira