--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the smartest thing for people to…" description: "\"I think the smartest thing for people to do to manage very distressing emotions is to take a medication if it helps, but don't do only that. You also n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/daniel-goleman-1599_distressing_i-think-the-smartest-thing-for-people-to_2873435.jpg" --- # I think the smartest thing for people to do to manage very… ![“I think the smartest thing for people to do to manage very distressing emotions is to take a medication if it helps, but don't do only that. You also need to train your mind.” quote by Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/daniel-goleman-1599_distressing_i-think-the-smartest-thing-for-people-to_2873435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/daniel-goleman-1599_distressing_i-think-the-smartest-thing-for-people-to_2873435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de4/daniel-goleman-1599_distressing_i-think-the-smartest-thing-for-people-to_2873435.jpg) > “I think the smartest thing for people to do to manage very distressing emotions is to take a medication if it helps, but don't do only that. You also need to train your mind.” [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medication can help with distress, but mental training is also essential. **In simple terms:** Combine meds with mental training. Key Takeaway Train the mind alongside medication. Themes mental health medication mindfulness self‑regulation well‑being Mood hopeful practical balanced Type self‑help psychology When to use this quote - therapy - personal development - stress management - clinical practice Key Concepts cognitive therapy neuroplasticity holistic care Questions to Reflect On - What mental practices complement medication? - How to personalize emotional care? A Different Perspective May overlook individual differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressing/) [Distressing Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressing-emotions-790765/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Emotions Medication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions-medication-3942725/) [Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage/) [Manage Distressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage-distressing-3942724/) [Medication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medication/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/if-your-emotional-abilities-aren-t-in-hand-if-you-don-t-have-self/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Altering our distressing emotions is an uphill battle. When you experience undesirable emotional outburst, try to alter the thought behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/altering-our-distressing-emotions-is-an-uphill-battle-when-you/) [Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/) > [When I say manage emotions, I only mean the really distressing, incapacitating emotions. Feeling emotions is what makes life rich. You need your passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-i-say-manage-emotions-i-only-mean-the-really-distressing/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The other thing is that if you rely solely on medication to manage depression or anxiety, for example, you have done nothing to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-other-thing-is-that-if-you-rely-solely-on-medication-to-manage/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The idea of Herman Melville in a writing class is always distressing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-idea-of-herman-melville-in-a-writing-class-is-always-distressing/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Nothing is more sweet than harmony in marriage, and nothing more distressing than dissension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/nothing-is-more-sweet-than-harmony-in-marriage-and-nothing-more/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Java and C++ make you think that the new ideas are like the old ones. Java is the most distressing thing to hit computing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/java-and-c-make-you-think-that-the-new-ideas-are-like-the-old-ones/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [It seems that some consideration should be given to the cause of our mounting physical disabilities, but instead of going to the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-roloff/it-seems-that-some-consideration-should-be-given-to-the-cause-of-our/) [Lester Roloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-roloff/) > [What I saw in Baltimore was distressing and it tells me we need stronger policies in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-i-saw-in-baltimore-was-distressing-and-it-tells-me-we-need/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What really worries me is that those who are in positions of power are not really affected by what we are writing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/what-really-worries-me-is-that-those-who-are-in-positions-of-power/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [The old knowledge had been difficult but not distressing. It had been all paradox and myth, and it had made sense. The new knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-old-knowledge-had-been-difficult-but-not-distressing-it-had-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [At this very moment,... the most frightful horrors are taking place in every corner of the world. People are being crushed, slashed, disembowelled, mangled;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/at-this-very-moment-the-most-frightful-horrors-are-taking-place-in/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [There is nothing more distressing ... than the hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man as a cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-nothing-more-distressing-than-the-hard-scoffing-spirit-which/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [If you film a scene in a wide shot, especially a disturbing, distressing moment, I do feel like that helps you feel as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-karpovsky/if-you-film-a-scene-in-a-wide-shot-especially-a-disturbing/) [Alex Karpovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-karpovsky/) ## More by Daniel Goleman > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [All the classical meditation traditions, in one way or another, stress nonattachment to the self as a goal of practice. Oddly, this dimension is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/all-the-classical-meditation-traditions-in-one-way-or-another-stress/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Feelings are self-justifying, with a set of perceptions and "proofs" all their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/feelings-are-self-justifying-with-a-set-of-perceptions-and-proofs-all/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [What seems to set apart those at the very top of competitive pursuits from others of roughly equal ability is the degree to which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-seems-to-set-apart-those-at-the-very-top-of-competitive-pursuits/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“What distinguishes leaders in medicine goes far beyond that knowledge, into interpersonal skills like empathy, conflict resolution, and people development.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-distinguishes-leaders-in-medicine-goes-far-beyond-that-knowledge/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin psychologist. He discovered that people who have greater activity in the left frontal lobe, compared to the right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/richard-davidson-a-university-of-wisconsin-psychologist-he-discovered/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The social brain is in its natural habitat when we're talking with someone face-to-face in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-social-brain-is-in-its-natural-habitat-when-we-re-talking-with/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The ability to handle stress increases with the practice of meditation. In a culture like ours in which inner, spiritual growth is totally neglected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-ability-to-handle-stress-increases-with-the-practice-of/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-emotional-brain-responds-to-an-event-more-quickly-than-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Positive work environments outperform negative work environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/positive-work-environments-outperform-negative-work-environments/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Who does not recall school at least in part as endless dreary hours of boredom punctuated by moments of high anxiety?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/who-does-not-recall-school-at-least-in-part-as-endless-dreary-hours/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) [Explore all 200 Daniel Goleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More Distressing quotes > [If you film a scene in a wide shot, especially a disturbing, distressing moment, I do feel like that helps you feel as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-karpovsky/if-you-film-a-scene-in-a-wide-shot-especially-a-disturbing/) [Alex Karpovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-karpovsky/) > [There is nothing more distressing ... than the hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man as a cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-nothing-more-distressing-than-the-hard-scoffing-spirit-which/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [At this very moment,... the most frightful horrors are taking place in every corner of the world. People are being crushed, slashed, disembowelled, mangled;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/at-this-very-moment-the-most-frightful-horrors-are-taking-place-in/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The old knowledge had been difficult but not distressing. It had been all paradox and myth, and it had made sense. The new knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-old-knowledge-had-been-difficult-but-not-distressing-it-had-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [What really worries me is that those who are in positions of power are not really affected by what we are writing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/what-really-worries-me-is-that-those-who-are-in-positions-of-power/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [What I saw in Baltimore was distressing and it tells me we need stronger policies in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-i-saw-in-baltimore-was-distressing-and-it-tells-me-we-need/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [It seems that some consideration should be given to the cause of our mounting physical disabilities, but instead of going to the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-roloff/it-seems-that-some-consideration-should-be-given-to-the-cause-of-our/) [Lester Roloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-roloff/) > [Java and C++ make you think that the new ideas are like the old ones. Java is the most distressing thing to hit computing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/java-and-c-make-you-think-that-the-new-ideas-are-like-the-old-ones/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Nothing is more sweet than harmony in marriage, and nothing more distressing than dissension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/nothing-is-more-sweet-than-harmony-in-marriage-and-nothing-more/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The idea of Herman Melville in a writing class is always distressing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-idea-of-herman-melville-in-a-writing-class-is-always-distressing/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Twin primes: pairs of prime numbers that are close to each other, almost neighbors, but between them there is always an even number that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-giordano/twin-primes-pairs-of-prime-numbers-that-are-close-to-each-other/) [Paolo Giordano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-giordano/) > [“You're distressing Dani. No one distresses Dani but me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/you-re-distressing-dani-no-one-distresses-dani-but-me/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [The evils which of necessity encompass the life of man are sufficiently numerous. Why should we add to them by voluntarily distressing and destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-evils-which-of-necessity-encompass-the-life-of-man-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [It's estimated that across Africa 100 elephants are killed for their tusks every day. It takes nothing more than simple math to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-estimated-that-across-africa-100-elephants-are-killed-for-their/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) [Browse all 117 Distressing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the smartest thing for people to do to manage very distressing emotions is to take a medication if it helps, but don't do only that. 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