Mental wellness is a key factor on the quest for holistic health. Unfortunately, according to stats released this year by Mental Health America (MHA), in 2019 nearly 20% of adults experienced a mental illness, and almost 25% of adults with a mental illness reported an unmet need for treatment. 

Despite the belief that money and fame can buy happiness, the truth is that nobody’s immune to mental health struggles. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, check out these 20 powerful mental health quotes by your favorite celebrities. Read on as they share advice, inspiration and their personal stories.

20 Celebrity Quotes About Mental Health

1. “I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety both in the lighthearted ‘I’m anxious about this kind of thing, and I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun. …When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set. That’s a great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff you might as well fly.” — Ryan Reynolds 

2. “I have this meditation app on my phone. I use it at least three times a week. There will be times where I will get [anxiety], but it’s not a full-blown panic attack. It’s just, like, for a couple hours I feel as if I’m going to die.” — Ashley Benson

3. “I’m a good talker. But I soon learned that you can’t talk someone out of depression. Mental illness is real. And like everything else in life, it operates on a spectrum. Though there are common symptoms, everyone experiences it differently.” — Oprah

4. “Depression doesn’t take away your talents—it just makes them harder to find. But I always find it. I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left.” — Lady Gaga

5. “With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again. That’s what I do in life, when I get down, when I get sick, I don’t want to just stop. I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying.” — Serena Williams

6. “When it comes to mental health conditions, we often treat them differently from other diseases like cancer, diabetes or asthma. And that makes no sense. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction. Because we know that mental health is just as important to our overall well-being as our physical health.” — Michelle Obama

7. “Meditation has saved my sanity. Not that I was crazy, but in this world of hyperspeed, overstimulation, no escape from technology, and constant emotional stress, it’s very hard to stay centered and grounded. And yet, since I’ve integrated meditation into my daily life — which doesn’t mean I do it every day — I feel so much more at ease, knowing that I can re-center myself when life feels out of control” — Kate Hudson

8. “Every person can benefit from talking to somebody. I’m the most antimedication person, but some people need medicine, and there was a time where I needed some too. So many people look at [my depression] as me being ungrateful, but that is not it—I can’t help it.” — Miley Cyrus

9. “I’ve found that as somebody who is generally pretty anxious I didn’t spend enough time celebrating the good things. I always worried about the next thing. So I would tell my younger self worrying is a wasted energy, be passionate, have a fire under yourself, never stop working hard but worrying is not something you should do.” — Josh Groban

10. “If you’re still not convinced, watch what you say, because I’ve been in therapy since I was five. My mother started me at such a young age because I was really angry at my dad, and it was coming out in the form of night terrors. Therapy literally changed my life, and I’ve been in it pretty much ever since. Because of my years on the couch, I’ve gotten to know my dark side, and I’ve learned how to keep it in check.” — Jillian Michaels

11. “I’ve never felt so bad mentally. I was so burned out…I would go home at night and couldn’t speak. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I shook myself when I went to bed and woke up because it was just so much stimulation.” — Lana Condor

12. “I do have anxiety and it’s an interesting part of my experience. My heart is racing and my brain is firing off and I’m just making all these jokes and then I’m like, actually spiraling. The louder and funnier I am, you should probably ask me if I’m OK.” — Lizzo

13. “People use ‘panic attack’ very casually out here in Los Angeles, but I don’t think most of them really know what it is. Every breath is labored. You are dying. You are going to die. It’s terrifying. And then when the attack is over, the depression is still there. Once, my stepdad asked me, ‘What does it feel like?’ And I said, ‘It feels like I’m desperately homesick, but I’m home.’ — Sarah Silverman

14. “I used to suffer from social anxiety. If I didn’t have plans on a Friday and Saturday night, I would think that I’d never find a partner, that people wouldn’t like me.” — Jonathan Van Ness

15. “For me, depression is not sadness. It’s not having a bad day and needing a hug. It gave me a complete and utter sense of isolation and loneliness. Its debilitation was all-consuming, and it shut down my mental circuit board. I felt worthless, like I had nothing to offer, like I was a failure.” — Kristen Bell

16. “I found that, with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it; you’re not going to be the last to go through it. And oftentimes—it happens—you just feel like you’re alone. You feel like it’s only you. You’re in your bubble.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

17. “If anybody is able to possess the financial means to go to therapy, I would recommend they do that. I think it’s a beautiful thing. There’s nothing wrong with working on yourself and dealing with those things with someone who can help you, someone who can talk to you, who’s not your mom or whatever, who has no bias.” — Zendaya

18. “Last year, I was suffering mentally and emotionally and I wasn’t able to stay all kept up and together. I wasn’t able to keep a smile or to keep things looking normal. It felt like all of my pain and my anxiety washed over me all at once and it was one of the scariest moments of my life.” — Selena Gomez

19. “The way that I dealt with anxiety, or losing my mom, was not holding that sadness in.” — Awkwafina

20. “It’s so important that you try to find gratitude in your life and focus on the positive things and when you’re able to do that, or you’re able to help others, you’re able to get outside of yourself and you’re able to look at your life from a different perspective. Sometimes it’s really challenging and it’s really difficult, but it’s something that helps me every day, and so far it’s worked.” — Demi Lovato 

Looking for some tips on cultivating mental wellness? Here’s what Health Coach Institute founders Stacy Morgenstern and Carey Peters have to say: 

“Surround yourself with people who believe in you as you would like to believe in yourself.” — Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peters

“You don’t win the game of Life by crossing a finish line, making six figures, buying a house or paying off debt. It’s about falling in love with the adventure.” — Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peters

Become a Health & Life Coach

Are you interested in learning more about mental and holistic health? Join HCI’s Become a Health & Life Coach program to learn about health, wellness, diet and nutrition. For those looking to make a career shift, you can begin coaching in as little as six months. If you’re already a coach and want to advance your skills, check out HCI’s Coach Mastery program. Feel free to get in touch with one of our clarity coaches directly by calling 1-800-303-2399.

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