While 25 Despair Quotes for Courage, Hope & Personal Growth may seem like a departure from peaceful encouragement typically shared here, my intent is to shine light. If you’re new to this blog, you may not know my educational background as a professional counselor. It’s one of the reasons I am compelled to bring inspiration for interiors, both our homes and hearts. We have all surely fought difficult battles in the past year, and many of us have more healing to do. Here’s a collection of thoughts to inspire deeper reflection as we journey toward brighter days. Let’s be gentle with ourselves.
![Brene Brown inspirational quote about courage, wholeheartedness, and integrity on Hello Lovely Studio. #brenebrown #personalqrowth #quotes #couragequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Brene-Brown-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-choose-courage.jpg)
25 Despair Quotes for Courage, Hope & Personal Growth
No matter how many times the catchphrase “we’re all in this together” is uttered or how intentional we may grow with self-care, it seems loss, discomfort, anxiety and loneliness have remain all too commonplace.
Let’s face it…some days we are simply less resilient than others.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7367c.jpg)
We need reminders that feelings of despair do not signal we are defective or weak as much as superbly human. While I have professional training in psychotherapy, it is my personal experience as a human sensitive to despair that allows me to lovingly support others.
![Inspiring quote about despair and depression on Hello Lovely Studio. #depressionquote #despairquote #emotionalwellness](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-never-less-than-whole-JEFF-FOSTER.jpg)
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7362.jpg)
Maybe these stirring and poignant quotes will resonate for you or somehow clarify a longing.
![Brene Brown inspirational quote about courage, wholeheartedness, and integrity on Hello Lovely Studio. #brenebrown #personalqrowth #quotes #couragequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Brene-Brown-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-courage-brokenhearted-.jpg)
Quotes About Despair, Healing & Hurting
I hope you’ll pin the quotes that speak to you (many more in these stories) to spread encouragement, wisdom, and emotional support…sometimes we feel a little less lost and alone when we find just the right words.
![Inspiring quote about despair and depression on Hello Lovely Studio. #depressionquote #despairquote #emotionalwellness](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-natural-energies-JEFF-FOSTER.jpg)
It certainly won’t hurt to expand our emotional vocabularies to better communicate about the interior landscape.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7365.jpg)
I’m also sharing photos I snapped (tropical beauty blooming inside a greenhouse in the middle of a harsh winter) and books to consider.
![Thomas Moore quote about struggle. Come find 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness. #inspirationalquotes #despairquotes #depressionquotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-THOMAS-MOORE.jpg)
This book of essays may speak to you if you are experiencing low mood (not clinical depression or major depressive disorder) and want to feel joined by vulnerable anecdotal reflections.
![Darkness Before Dawn (Tami Simon) book cover - come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41APOjbP2cL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
It may also help if you are supporting someone who is navigating depression.
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-MARY-PIPHER.jpg)
Wildly Popular Google Search in 2020
A certain wildly popular Google search last year first made me laugh then cry when I learned of it…
can you guess what it was?
![Sandra Ingerman inspirational quote on Hello Lovely Studio. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness. #strugglequotes #inspirationalquotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-SANDRA-INGERMAN.jpg)
Here’s a hint.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7353.jpg)
Even though I have a limited number of appointments to keep on the calendar, I recently missed a therapeutic massage appointment FOR NO GOOD REASON!
![Inspirational quote from Karla McLaren. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness. #inspirationalquotes #strugglequote #personalgrowth](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-karla-mclaren.jpg)
One of the most popular Google searches last year?
WHAT DAY IS IT?
Yep.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7371.jpg)
It seems folks typed that question into their browser constantly.
![James Gordon quote about struggle and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #strugglequotes #emotionalwellness #depressionquote](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-james-gordon.jpg)
For many months now, too many of us grow disoriented and feel out of sorts, disconnected or disordered.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7383.jpg)
![Bob Goff inspiring love quote on Hello Lovely Studio. #lovequotes #inspirationalquotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/inspirational-post-bob-goff-hello-lovely-studio-sefless-love.jpg)
Many people in 2020 struggled to recall the month and day of the week, and it was easier to ask Google than search their memory for clues.
![Inspiring quote about despair and depression on Hello Lovely Studio. #depressionquote #despairquote #emotionalwellness](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-healing-JEFF-FOSTER.jpg)
Social Isolation & Shifting Climates
The struggle to adjust to new normals (working from home, learning from home, safety measures, social isolation) has surely taken a toll on our bodies, minds, and spirits.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7355.jpg)
Our reliance on digital technology and screen time has also ushered in new woes.
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-despair-trust-MARY-PIPHER.jpg)
If you struggle with: mental health, balancing the demands of modern life, and coping with despair, you are not defective.
![Christina Baldwin quote about the uncertainty of life. #inspirationalquotes #lifequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-CHRISTINA-BALDWIN.jpg)
You are a lovely human who is paying attention.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7363.jpg)
There is a difference between feeling depressed (or despair) and suffering from depression, and experts can help you discern and find relief.
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-despair-MARY-PIPHER.jpg)
I personally find a multi-disciplinary approach to coping with despair and anxiety to be helpful. For example, I address the body (yoga/stretching/diet/exercise/walking), mind (i.e. unplugging from social media), and spirit (for me, it is daily communing with the Divine).
![Inspiring quote about despair and depression on Hello Lovely Studio. #depressionquote #despairquote #emotionalwellness](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-deep-rest-JEFF-FOSTER.jpg)
Medical help may be appropriate to provide support along with talk therapy, spiritual direction, exercise, diet, meditation and all sorts of other healing resources.
![You Were Never Broken (Jeff Foster) book cover. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41n8Lf3-yXL._SX342_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
It is always a good idea to see your doctor or a professional if your depression concerns you.
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-despair-cherish-ourselves-MARY-PIPHER.jpg)
Feelings of despair can be debilitating, and we all need to work together to eliminate the stigma of vulnerability.
![Mary Pipher's book cover Women Rowing North. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41gQmi3nlYL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Oh that we all could become more sensitive so that personal suffering need not be exacerbated by shame.
![Thomas Moore quote about struggle. #inspirationalquotes #despairquotes #depressionquotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-aging-THOMAS-MOORE.jpg)
If welcoming feelings of depression sounds strange, I hear you. Yet I also know the power of getting out of my own way.
![Mary Oliver's book cover for DEVOTIONS. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FpEyVKpEL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Resisting dark feelings takes energy and can work against healing.
![Inspirational quote by Terri St. Cloud on Hello Lovely Studio. #inspirationalquote #personalgrowthquote](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Terri-St.-Cloud-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-make-the-whole-beautiful.jpg)
When we welcome them and feel them all the way through, we are bravely journeying toward healing.
![Parker Palmer's book cover for A HIDDEN WHOLENESS. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51zfx+4kC3L._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Words of Understanding to Support Your Journey
I have been encouraged and blessed by author Parker Palmer’s work since he has suffered through seasons of darkness…what a gift to feel joined.
![Mary Oliver quote and poetry on Hello Lovely Studio. #maryoliver #encouragementquote #inspirationalquote](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/MARY-OLIVER-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-broken-world-fresh-morning.jpg)
Overcoming Overwhelm is a wonderful resource for clarifying your values and becoming more aware of the patterns that lead to overwhelm.
![Dr. Samantha Brody's book cover for DISMANTLE YOUR STRESS FROM THE INSIDE OUT OVERCOMING OVERWHELM. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41E58ZkJMLL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7366.jpg)
What could happen if we all began to recognize heavy despair and “stuckness” as a fresh beginning–a growth project–and not a temporary agonizing pit?
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/depression-emotional-wellness-personal-growth-struggle-inspirational-quote-hello-lovely-studio-despair-growth-projet-MARY-PIPHER.jpg)
Living Your One Life Bravely
One thing I have learned about those seasons of darkness and growth is that they inevitably require me to live bravely.
![Brene Brown book cover BRAVING THE WILDERNESS. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mcfr1dFuL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Brave living is going to look different for each of us, but I have come to believe that it always involves disappointing other people.
And that’s never pleasant.
![Brene Brown inspirational quote about courage, wholeheartedness, and integrity on Hello Lovely Studio. #brenebrown #personalqrowth #quotes #couragequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Brene-Brown-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-wild-heart.jpg)
It never gets easier for me (this disappointing other people thing), but now, when I sense it happening, I recognize I have probably begun to rearrange boundaries and live more bravely.
![Elizabeth Lesser book cover: BROKEN OPEN: HOW DIFFICULT TIMES CAN HELP US GROW. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41UjmDS7Z-L._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
If you’re a people pleaser, then it is bound to truly sting.
![Marc Brackett inspirational quote on Hello Lovely Studio. #inspirationalquotes #feelingsquote](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/marc-brackett-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-hurt-feelings.jpg)
![Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey by [Bob Goff] book cover. Come explore 25 Poignant Despair Quotes for Courage, Personal Growth & Emotional Wellness.](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/418DFhTStmL._SY346_.jpg)
![Elizabeth Lesser quote on Hello Lovely Studio. #inspirationalquotes #personalgrowth #spiritualjourney](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Elizabeth-Lesser-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-evils-change-inside-job.jpg)
Are We All Smack Dab in the Middle of a Growth Project?
I think it’s quite possible that in a couple of years, we may look back at this season on global crisis and see it as a time that stretched us, deepened us, and cultivated courage.
![Elizabeth Gilbert inspirational quote about surrender and control. #inspirationalquotes #personalgrowth #selfcare #selfkindness #lettinggo](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Elizabeth-Gilbert-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-surrender-control.jpg)
Please feel free to share your thoughts about journeying through heartache and despair or how you are coping with the uncertainties of modern life.
If your depression deepens or concerns you, get in touch with your doctor right away, just like you would if it were any other illness.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7376.jpg)
![Mary Pipher quote about struggle, personal growth, and despair on Hello Lovely Studio. #personalgrowth #inspirationalquote #strugglequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DE4E771.jpg)
![Brene Brown inspirational quote about courage, wholeheartedness, and integrity on Hello Lovely Studio. #brenebrown #personalqrowth #quotes #couragequotes](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Brene-Brown-inspiratonal-quote-hello-lovely-studio-talk-to-yourself.jpg)
My heart is with you, especially those of you struggling to be well; those of you longing for signs of hope and light.
![Inside a conservatory, a vibrant tropical flower blooms in winter - Hello Lovely Studio.](https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7379.jpg)
Hang in here with me. You’re enough. All of this hard earned personal growth is honorable, and everything has its season.
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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You got my vote Michele!! Thanks for the beautiful comforting words today ♥️
Author
Thanks so much, Holly!