60 Inspiring Suffer in Silence Quotes to Help You Find Strength
60 Inspiring Suffer in Silence Quotes to Help You Find Strength
Imagine you have an incredibly stressful day at work and get home to your children fighting and your spouse yelling for help to eradicate it. You’re hungry and don’t have time to get the groceries, but finances are tight to get take-out. You want to share your work day with your partner, but you can sense that they are overwhelmed and still upset from the argument you had before work. And your best friend, who you usually confide in, currently has a lot on their plate. So, what do you do? You put your head down, shove down your feelings, and eat leftovers in front of the TV with your family instead of opening a can of worms while talking around the dinner table. Sound familiar? Some of this may not be the same experience you had, but I’m sure you have your version of it.
For many people, suffering in silence is an all too common default setting. You are burned out or overwhelmed from a hard day, week, or year and hide it from being seen by others. This is often due to fear of being a burden, societal stigmas, or believing you should be able to handle it on your own. We all need to compartmentalize our distress in certain moments, but this should only be temporary. Keeping it hidden can leave you feeling lonely, worsen your feelings, and lead you to believe that you are the only one suffering in the way you are. In some cases, people can develop depression or anxiety disorders, lose relationships, develop health issues, or struggle to have financial and job stability.
When suffering clouds our ability to feel what we know logically fully, we may need to be constantly reminded of truth to get through the storm. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but we do need to use it. Hearing the positive encouragement of factual statements as much as, if not more, than we hear the negative thought tape in our minds can help reassure our feelings that we’ll be okay.
I invite you to read through the following 60 quotes about suffering in silence and choose 10 that you can remind yourself of to align your feelings. Please feel empowered to switch them every so often as you see fit!
Quotes Highlighting the Pain of Suffering in Silence
- “The deepest pain I ever felt was denying my own feelings to make everyone else comfortable.” — Nicole Lyons
- “Even in the loneliest moments, we are never truly alone. But suffering in silence can make us feel as if we are.” — Robin Williams
- “We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.” — Ernest Hemingway
- “Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” — William Barclay
- “The human condition is that we all suffer, and we all long for meaning. And the more we try to silence our suffering, the louder it becomes.” — Brené Brown
- “The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.” — Jonathan Harnisch
- “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.” — Bob Marley
- “Depression is being colorblind and constantly told how colorful the world is.” — Atticus
- “Some of the most painful scars are the ones that others can’t see.” — Faraaz Kazi
- “Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” — Bruce Lee
Quotes on Finding Inner Strength
- “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
- “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” — Steve Maraboli
- “You don’t have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.” — Dan Millman
- “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.” — Calvin Coolidge
- “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” — Dolly Parton
- “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo—far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” — Jodi Picoult
- “What is to give light must endure burning.” — Viktor E. Frankl
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T.S. Eliot
- “It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” — Mark Twain
Quotes on Seeking Help and Support
- “Asking for help isn’t giving up. It’s refusing to give up.” — Charlie Mackesy
- “There is no shame in asking for help; in fact, it’s one of the bravest things you can do.” — Barack Obama
- “You are not a burden. You have a burden, which by definition is too heavy to carry on your own.” — Unknown
- “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” — Isaiah 43:2 (The Bible)
- “Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” — Maggie Kuhn
- “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself, and yet share your struggles with others.” — Michel de Montaigne
- “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen.” — Brené Brown
- “No one has ever become poor by giving, and no one has ever become weak by seeking help.” — Anne Frank (adapted)
- “Help will always be given to those who ask for it.” — J.K. Rowling (Albus Dumbledore)
- “Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” — Ziad K. Abdelnour
Quotes on Overcoming Challenges
- “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl
- “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” — Nelson Mandela
- “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” — Helen Keller
- “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” — J.K. Rowling
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
- “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” — Robert H. Schuller
- “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” — Walter Elliot
- “You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.” — Babe Ruth
- “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” — Mary Anne Radmacher
Quotes on Self-Compassion
- “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” — Brené Brown
- “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay
- “We are all a little broken. But last time I checked, broken crayons still color the same.” — Trent Shelton
- “You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, or anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” — Lori Deschene
- “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Whatever you do, be gentle with yourself. You don’t just live in the world or your home or your skin. You also live in your mind.” — Brianna Wiest
- “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
- “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott
- “Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.” — Maya Angelou
- “You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.” — Sophia Bush
Quotes on Finding Light in Darkness
- “The darkest hour has only sixty minutes.” — Morris Mandel
- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” — Desmond Tutu
- “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” — John Lennon
- “The pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy that’s coming.” — Romans 8:18 (The Bible)
- “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford
- “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” — Anonymous
- “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” — Aesop
- “This too shall pass.” — Persian Proverb
- “Be strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever.” — Unknown
Tips for Coping with Silent Suffering
Coping with the challenges of silent suffering can be difficult. First and foremost, I encourage anyone to ask themselves what would happen if they shared their suffering with someone else. Is the outcome they are assuming based on sound evidence or fear? If going through the suffering alone is the only option, here are some practical advice and strategies to help cope with it:
- Cognitive Reframing: Identify the negative thoughts or assumptions your emotions are impacted by and then challenge them. What is the worst-case scenario? How likely is that to happen? Is there a more likely alternative outcome? If the worst-case scenario were to happen, how can I get through it?
- Meditation: Studies show that mindfulness reduces stress and improves emotional regulation. Apps like Headspace or Calm can help, and you can even find some guided meditations on YouTube or Spotify. Meditation is a practice, and like anything that takes practice, it takes a little while to get used to it!
- Sleep Hygiene: Make sure you have a consistent sleep schedule and get enough sleep (about 7-8 hours for men and 7-9 hours for women). Establish a nighttime routine that limits screens and a lot of light.
- Opposite Action: Push yourself to engage in meaningful and joyful activities, even when motivation is low. Research supports that this helps reduce depression and anxiety.
- Journaling: Write about your raw experience, thoughts, and feelings. It doesn’t need to be well-written or even make sense if you were to read back through it. This can provide clarity and understanding to things that may feel more abstract and overwhelming in your mind.
- Nutritional Support: Limit/avoid caffeine, sugar, processed foods, and alcohol intake. Although some of these foods may release immediate dopamine, many have been shown to increase anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Grounding and Mindfulness Practices: Get outside barefoot and feel the ground beneath your feet. Put a cold compress on the back of your neck and feel your body’s temperature change. You can also try the 5 Senses exercise (notice five things you see, four things you think externally, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste).
- Exercise: Engage in strength training, go to a workout class, or try a new sport. Research has shown that exercise improves mood by releasing endorphins, reducing stress hormones, and enhancing brain function, leading to decreased anxiety and depression symptoms. Even a 20-minute walk has a significant impact on your brain.
Seeking professional support for any suffering can be incredibly beneficial whether you are or are not beginning to confide in others. We are not created to go through life on our own, and counselors are specifically trained to help you navigate life’s seasons of suffering more effectively. To learn more about what therapy modality may be best for you, read about the different modalities here: 15 Types of Mental Health Therapy.
Final Thoughts
Silent suffering is an incredibly isolating experience. If you are silently suffering, it is essential to become aware of it and consider why you aren’t being vulnerable to others. If you decide that there are ecological reasons for you to continue to suffer silently, then continue to reevaluate your options to reach out for support. Maybe your best friend will return home after a week, and you will have a new option for support. Perhaps you were able to cut back on spending the last month and can now afford counseling. There is so much strength, hopefulness, and encouragement to be found in sharing your experience, even if it is the last thing you want to do!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people often hide their feelings and suffer in silence?
Many people fear being a burden, face societal stigmas, or believe they should be able to handle their struggles on their own. This can lead to hiding their distress from others.
What are the potential consequences of suffering in silence?
Suffering in silence can worsen feelings of loneliness, lead to depression or anxiety disorders, damage relationships, cause health issues, and impact financial and job stability.
How can we balance the need to compartmentalize distress with the importance of addressing our feelings?
While it’s sometimes necessary to temporarily compartmentalize our feelings, it’s crucial to find appropriate times and ways to address and process our emotions to avoid long-term negative effects.
