May is Mental Health Awareness Month, intended to support and educate people about the realities of mental health. It’s a topic that affects everyone—whether you know it or not, the stress and anxiety of the modern world get to all of us.
By removing stigma, Mental Health Awareness Month aims to help people address their mental health needs and overall happiness. That’s why it’s important to educate others about what this month stands for, and ways we can all address our mental health difficulties in our own lives. A great way to gently and mindfully address this topic is by contemplating the wisdom of others.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked our Evernote team members to share some of their favorite inspirational mental health quotes: from thinkers, historic figures, and modern people of note, from all walks of life. We hope these quotes will spread awareness of mental health issues, allow us to see ourselves and each other with kindness, and help ground us when stress and pressure take their toll.
The challenge: overcoming obstacles
All of us face challenges in life, both big and small. This can mean anything from being stuck in traffic to losing a loved one. Strong, focused mental health can help you face and overcome these challenges, as the following mental health quotes illustrate.
- “Tough times never last. Tough people do.” —televangelist Robert H. Schuller
- “On particularly rough days, when I’m sure I can’t possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100%, and that’s pretty good.” —life coach and author Michelle Weidenbenner
- “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” —musician and philanthropist Dolly Parton
- “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” —Unknown
- “人間万事塞翁が馬 (You never know how things will turn out)” —Japanese proverb
The challenge: self-love
Practicing self-love can be a challenge for many of us, especially those inclined to give their time and energy to others. But looking after your mental health means treating yourself with compassion and giving yourself credit for your accomplishments—as these quotes show.
- “Always have the highest bar for yourself. Wake up every day and no matter how crappy you feel, want to change something for the better. Do something that makes someone happy. Create something that inspires someone. Be someone’s light when they are hopeless.” —musician Dave Grohl
- “I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing, even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.” —pianist and composer Thelonious Monk
- “Every story I create creates me. I write to create myself.” —author Octavia E. Butler
- “Remember the mountains and valleys that got you here. Remember the things you never thought you would accomplish but did. You may have a long way to go but never discredit how far you have come.” —artist Morgan Harper Nichols
The challenge: optimism and motivation
Motivation allows us to approach the challenges of our lives with energy and focus. That often starts with optimism and intention: envisioning a positive outcome and setting out to make it happen. These mental health quotes speak to looking for the positive side of situations and using it to push you into action.
- “Everything will be so good so soon, just hang in there and don’t worry about it too much.” —artist Adam J. Kurtz
- “To wonder is to learn—to wonder is to grow—to wonder is to live. Live with wonder—because in the simplicity of wonder lie the answers.” —neuroscientist Abhijit Naskar
- “It’s not what happens; it’s what you do that makes a difference.” —philanthropist and author Tony Robbins
- “Life is like music for its own sake. We are living in an eternal now, and when we listen to music we are not listening to the past, we are not listening to the future, we are listening to an expanded present.” —author Alan Watts
- “Don’t breathe the way fear makes you breathe. Breathe the way love makes you breathe. Breathe the way joy makes you breathe.” —Evernote team member Valerie (adapted from a famous quote by Osho)
What you can do this month
Quotes like these are intended to foster positive thinking, which makes it easier to find solutions to whatever challenges you’re facing. As Mental Health Awareness Month continues, May offers a great opportunity to address or improve your own mental health and make an impact on those around you.
If life feels challenging for you right now, here are a few quick suggestions that might help:
- Create a positive affirmation note and pin it to your home screen—something positive and uplifting about yourself, in a place where you can readily see it. Use Evernote’s scratch pad feature in Home to keep your note in open view on your screen.
- Start a gratitude journal. Journaling has been proven to have a positive impact on people’s mental health. Set time aside every day to write in it—however briefly—and use it to express intense emotions, talk about fears, and list accomplishments you achieved that day.
- Talk to your employer about mental health resources your company may have available for you. For example, resources like the Modern Health online therapy tool (used by us at Evernote!) can prove a helpful assist.
Use this month—and every month—to work on your own mental health
Robust mental health is the key to our overall happiness, and the satisfaction we get out of life. All of us face challenges and obstacles that can affect our mental health. By acknowledging that truth and seeking ways to address it, we can help ourselves live happier, healthier lives.
The quotes listed above offer simple and easy ways to brighten someone’s day—yours and others. You can pass on the good vibes by sharing these quotes with someone who needs to hear them—and add your own favorites!