The biggest problem that women have is being ambivalent about their own power, ... We should be comfortable with the idea of wielding power. We shouldn't feel that it detracts from our femininity.
Elizabeth WurtzelRead
In a typical mental health catch-22, the alienating nature of depression tends to keep its sufferers from finding their way to the very support groups that might help them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Depression can isolate individuals, making it difficult for them to seek help from support systems that are available.
This quote highlights the paradoxical situation faced by those suffering from depression. The condition often creates a sense of isolation and alienation, which prevents individuals from accessing the very resources and support they need to heal and recover. The quote emphasizes the challenge of breaking out of this cycle and the importance of understanding these barriers in mental health care.
Themes
DepressionMental HealthSupportIsolationParadox
In practice
Example use cases
During a mental health awareness event, this quote can be shared to underline the challenges of reaching out for help.
More from Elizabeth Wurtzel
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Whenever I talk to anyone I care about, I am always seeking approval. There is always a pleading lilt in my voice that demands love. Even the people I work with, the ones I am supposed to have a professional relationship with, all business, get pulled into my need. I can't help it. I want to be adored.
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Getting help for substance abuse can be reduced to the deceptively simple focus of βkeeping away from the dope.β But what does getting help with depression mean? Learning to keep away from your own mind?
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Taking a hypersensitive approach to life had come to seem so much more pure and honest then joining the ranks of the numb masses who could let it all slide by. What I stopped realizing was that if you feel everything intensely, ultimately you feel nothing at all. Everything registers at the same decibel.
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It's being a grown up, which I never figured out how to do, scrubbing the tub, and remembering to eat and shampoo my hair. It's the basics: I can write a whole book, but I cannot handle the basics.
Elizabeth WurtzelRead
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