Depression Quotes And Sayings To Help When You're Sad

While sadness is a typical human emotion that everyone experiences at one time or another, it can escalate to a mental health condition when your feelings linger or grow worse over time, interfere with your ability to function in multiple areas of your life, or prevent you from enjoying the things you once loved, a common symptom called anhedonia. 

Depression is a common but serious mental health condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Recent studies show that reading quotes can help you feel connected with others and less alone when depression symptoms isolate you. Read on for a collection of quotes about depression and sadness to help you through tough times.

Quotes For When Depression Makes You Feel Alone

Feelings of sadness and pain are isolating by nature, and for people with depression filtering their thoughts, it can be easy to feel that no one could understand what they’re going through or that anyone would care. 

• “Depression is being colorblind and constantly told how colorful the world is.” — Atticus

• “I’ve found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone.” — Dwayne Johnson

• “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” — John Green

• “When you’re surrounded by all these people, it can be lonelier than when you’re by yourself. You can be in a huge crowd, but if you don’t feel like you can trust anyone or talk to anybody, you feel like you’re really alone.” ― Fiona Apple

Depression Quotes To Uplift You

Motivational quotes don’t always help, but according to a recent study, reading uplifting quotes can help you change your perspective on depression and its symptoms. 

• “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.” ―Andrew Solomon

• "I understand your pain. Trust me, I do. I've seen people go from the darkest moments in their lives to living a happy, fulfilling life. You can do it too. I believe in you. You are not a burden. You will never be a burden." — Sophie Turner

• “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.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Quotes About Sadness And Emotional Pain

Sadness and intense emotional pain are typical depression symptoms, and they often have the curious quality of making you feel like you’ve always been sad and will stay that way forever. Sadness alters your perception of time because your brain is more neurochemically active when you feel strong emotions. 

• "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.” – Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

• “It’s not always the tears that measure the pain. Sometimes, it’s the smile we fake.” — Unknown Author

• “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless, and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.” — Robin Williams

• “No matter how hopeless and depressed you feel, I promise that you won’t feel this way forever. Keep going.” — Helen Wilson

• “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Depression Quotes To Explain The Condition

Many people lack the emotional intelligence to recognize and understand their feelings and needs or the emotional literacy to explain them to their loved ones. These quotes may help you find the words to describe how depression affects your mind and body. 

• “Depression isn’t a war you win. It’s a battle you fight every day.” — Shaun David Hutchinson

• “The hardest thing about depression is that it is addictive. It begins to feel uncomfortable not to be depressed. You feel guilty for feeling happy.” ― Pete Wentz

• “I hope to one day see a sea of people all wearing silver ribbons as a sign that they understand the secret battle, and as a celebration of the victories made each day as we individually pull ourselves up out of our foxholes to see our scars heal, and to remember what the sun looks like.” –Jenny Lawson

Quotes About The Impact Of Depression

Depression can influence your actions and cognitive patterns, changing how you act and react in various situations. Your loved ones may express concern over drastic changes in your habits as the physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms of depression grow in strength and interference in your life. 

• “Depression is feeling like you’ve lost something but having no clue when or where you last had it. Then one day you realize what you lost is yourself.” — Unknown Author

• “Sometimes, all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.” — William C. Hannan

• "Depression doesn't take away your talents—it just makes them harder to find." — Lady Gaga

• “All it takes is a beautiful fake smile to hide an injured soul and they will never notice how broken you really are.” — Robin Williams

Depression Quotes About Managing Symptoms

According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, one of the characteristics of depression is that symptoms persist for at least two weeks and cause functional impairment that interferes with your school, work, social life, or relationships. 

• “In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous among of balls…” — Carrie Fisher, Wishful Drinking

• “Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” ― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

• "My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why wouldn't I go to a [mental health professional]?" — Kerry Washington

• "It's my mission to share this with the world and to let them know that there is life on the other side of those dark times that seem so hopeless and helpless. I want to show the world that there is life—surprising, wonderful and unexpected life after diagnosis." — Demi Lovato

• "It is okay to have depression, it is okay to have anxiety, and it is okay to have an adjustment disorder. We need to improve the conversation. We all have mental health in the same way we all have physical health." — Prince Harry

Quotes About Loving Someone With Depression

Many people seek support and guidance on how to support a loved one with depression. Start by educating yourself about their mental health condition and asking for guidance on what you can do to help.  

• “I found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone.” ---Dwayne Johnson

• “Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we,’ illness becomes wellness.” – Shannon L. Alder

• “Awareness is power. Understanding the types of symptoms your partner faces will help you have more patience and empathy. You’ll also learn that sad moods and irritability are not always caused by any particular event or action.” ---Lisa Batten, Ph.D.

• "If you know someone who's depressed, please resolve to never ask why. Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather." — Stephen Fry

Depression Quotes That Explain How It Feels

When you have depression, it may be difficult to take interest in or pleasure from the things you used to enjoy. This phenomenon is called anhedonia, and it can act as a filter for your emotions, creating the emotional dulling that many people with depression report. 

• “People think depression is sadness. That it’s crying and dressing in black, but people are wrong. Depression is the constant feeling of being numb. It’s being numb to emotions, being numb to life. You wake up in the morning just to go back to bed again.” – Unknown Author

• “Something inside me clicks. It’s like I’ve spent my whole life fiddling with a complicated combination only to discover I was toying with the wrong lock.” –Jasmine Warga

• "Depression is like a bruise that never goes away. A bruise in your mind. You just got to be careful not to touch it where it hurts. It's always here, though." — Jeffrey Eugenides

• “Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. It’s the fear of failure but no urge to be productive. It’s wanting friends but hating to socialize. It’s wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely. It’s caring about everything, then caring about nothing. It’s feeling everything at once, then feeling paralyzingly numb.” — Unknown Author

• "It is very hard to explain to people who have never known serious depression or anxiety the sheer continuous intensity of it. There is no off switch." — Matt Haig

How Therapy Can Help 

If you’re having trouble managing your depression symptoms, consider working with a licensed therapist online through a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp. If you’re seeking mental health help for a child from 12 to 19, contact TeenCounseling for more information. With flexible appointment formats such as phone, video calls, and online chat, fitting therapy into your busy schedule is a simple task. A licensed therapist can help you find healthy ways to manage your depression symptoms and coping strategies to minimize their impact on your life. 

According to a recent study, online cognitive behavioral therapy treatments can be as effective as face-to-face sessions, often with lower costs, shorter wait times, and increased convenience and safety. Many patients said the added physical distance of virtual therapy made it easier to share intimate personal details with their therapists, and the convenience of receiving treatment at home made it possible to attend more sessions. Many mental health professionals say the duration and efficiency of online therapy increase with the number of sessions attended and the strength of the relationship between therapist and patient. 

Takeaway 

Depression can be a serious mental health condition that often has a substantial impact on multiple facets of your life. The quotes in this article may offer some comfort and solace when depression symptoms are affecting you and offer insight into how therapy can help treat the condition and teach coping skills to manage its effects. 

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