--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn’t have a name for what my…" description: "\"“I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each works-in-progress for as long as we live, and I was no d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg" --- # I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was… ![“I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each works-in-progress for as long as we live, and I was no different. When you’re in emotional distress, your life can feel like you’re spiraling up or down at any given moment. If these ups and downs are…” quote by Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg) > ““I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each works-in-progress for as long as we live, and I was no different. When you’re in emotional distress, your life can feel like you’re spiraling up or down at any given moment. If these ups and downs are extreme and chronic, they do damage to your mind, body, and soul, and your relationships with other people, including those who care about you most. Recovery and healing require patience, something that is difficult for many people, and certainly was difficult for someone like me. But, I learned to submit to patience because it was either go step-by-step or die. Having patience means knowing that it is never too late to get well.”” [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how personal growth is ongoing, emotional turbulence can harm us, and healing needs patience and gradual steps. **In simple terms:** Healing needs patience and gradual effort. Key Takeaway Embrace patience and take small steps toward recovery. Themes self‑growth mental health resilience healing patience Mood reflective hopeful determined Type advice personal development inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - daily self‑care - support groups - stressful work periods - relationship counseling Key Concepts emotional regulation psychology self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today toward healing? - How can you cultivate patience during crises? A Different Perspective Patience alone may not address underlying causes without professional help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distress/) [Having patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-patience/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-body/) [Mind body and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-body-and-soul/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Ups and downs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ups-and-downs/) ## Related quotes > [Watch yourself as you go about your daily business and later reflect on what you saw, trying to identify the sources of distress in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/watch-yourself-as-you-go-about-your-daily-business-and-later-reflect/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [ “\[ We apologize for it taking so long, but IRL rewards require patience. \]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-thorman/we-apologize-for-it-taking-so-long-but-irl-rewards-require-patience/) [Daniel Thorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-thorman/) > [God waits only the separation of spirit from flesh to crown us with a full reward. Why, then, should we ever sink overwhelmed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/god-waits-only-the-separation-of-spirit-from-flesh-to-crown-us-with-a/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Your distress about life might mean you have been living for the wrong reason, not that you have no reason for living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-distress-about-life-might-mean-you-have-been-living-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is going to be a long, hard haul; it will require patience, courage, faith that hangs on when hope fails, if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/it-is-going-to-be-a-long-hard-haul-it-will-require-patience-courage/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [“Why, then, should we ever sink overwhelmed with distress, when life is so soon over, and death is so certain an entrance to happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/why-then-should-we-ever-sink-overwhelmed-with-distress-when-life-is/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“I urge you to find a way to immerse yourself fully in the life that you’ve been given. To stop running from whatever you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lembke/i-urge-you-to-find-a-way-to-immerse-yourself-fully-in-the-life-that/) Anna Lembke > [“Their opinions don’t matter because at the end of the day, they don’t want you to be happy and any word they pronounce aims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karma-peters/their-opinions-don-t-matter-because-at-the-end-of-the-day-they-don-t/) [Karma Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karma-peters/) > [As any gardener will tell you, the cycles of nature require patience...Even a fast-growing vegetable like a radish requires time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan/as-any-gardener-will-tell-you-the-cycles-of-nature-require-patience/) [M. J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan/) > [And I have to be willing to be patient to allow God's plan to unfold and not go ahead and try to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cousins/and-i-have-to-be-willing-to-be-patient-to-allow-god-s-plan-to-unfold/) [Kirk Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cousins/) > [God's guidance will require patience on our part. His leading is not usually a direct assurance, a revelation, but His sovereign controlling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-b-ferguson/god-s-guidance-will-require-patience-on-our-part-his-leading-is-not/) [Sinclair B. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-b-ferguson/) > [“No; I know I should think well of myself; but that is not enough: if others don't love me I would rather die than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/no-i-know-i-should-think-well-of-myself-but-that-is-not-enough-if/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“When people with ME/CFS report symptoms of post-exertional malaise, those symptoms are independent of emotional distress, but when the general population report what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-a-jason/when-people-with-me-cfs-report-symptoms-of-post-exertional-malaise/) [Leonard A. Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-a-jason/) > [“Emotional Distress (n.): A negative emotional reaction—which may include fear, anger, anxiety, and suffering”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gracia-williams/emotional-distress-n-a-negative-emotional-reaction-which-may-include/) [Whitney Gracia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-gracia-williams/) > [Deal first with whatever is causing you the greatest emotional distress. Often this will break the logjam in your work and free you up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/deal-first-with-whatever-is-causing-you-the-greatest-emotional/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) ## More by Jenifer Lewis > [“And, I want other women to know they can stand up and MUST stand up to your persecutors. Feel the fear, and do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/and-i-want-other-women-to-know-they-can-stand-up-and-must-stand-up-to/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [“Every now and then I would still fuck up with the people I loved the most. And they loved me enough to tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/every-now-and-then-i-would-still-fuck-up-with-the-people-i-loved-the/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [Love yourself, so that love will not be a stranger when it comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/love-yourself-so-that-love-will-not-be-a-stranger-when-it-comes/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I've been burn when it comes to my hair that it ain't no joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-ve-been-burn-when-it-comes-to-my-hair-that-it-ain-t-no-joke/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [Creativity does not stop just because you're over 50. Hollywood spits female actresses out after age 29, but you don't stop creating. If anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/creativity-does-not-stop-just-because-you-re-over-50-hollywood-spits/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [“I go inside. I become Ruby Johnson. I deliver my first line. Within seconds, I hear the sound I’d been listening for all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-go-inside-i-become-ruby-johnson-i-deliver-my-first-line-within/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I sang in church at 5. When I saw the reaction, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-sang-in-church-at-5-when-i-saw-the-reaction-i-knew-what-i-wanted-to/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [If you just want to be a star, go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/if-you-just-want-to-be-a-star-go-away/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I never gave up. I never quit. I've been a leader all my life, from elementary school to president of my class to excelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-never-gave-up-i-never-quit-i-ve-been-a-leader-all-my-life-from/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I still go to a salon where a gal does my hair, and I don't know if it's because I'm a celebrity but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-still-go-to-a-salon-where-a-gal-does-my-hair-and-i-don-t-know-if-it/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [It's important to e alive in those moment, especially when you're doing something you love to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/it-s-important-to-e-alive-in-those-moment-especially-when-you-re/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [Sometimes I think I take on a lot of work but that's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/sometimes-i-think-i-take-on-a-lot-of-work-but-that-s-me/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [You are a black goddess when you come out the salon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/you-are-a-black-goddess-when-you-come-out-the-salon/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I don't have any beauty shop memories. I remember the barber shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-don-t-have-any-beauty-shop-memories-i-remember-the-barber-shop/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I was gifted at birth with this talent, and I've tried to honor it all my life. And I did - through hell and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-was-gifted-at-birth-with-this-talent-and-i-ve-tried-to-honor-it-all/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) [Explore all 68 Jenifer Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) ## More Distress quotes > [That toil of growing up; The ignominy of boyhood; the distress Of boyhood changing into man; The unfinished man and his pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/that-toil-of-growing-up-the-ignominy-of-boyhood-the-distress-of/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/) [Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/) > [“When children are hurt and in pain psychologically, they don't want to be in distress, so when the situation becomes intolerable, they cease to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-firestone/when-children-are-hurt-and-in-pain-psychologically-they-don-t-want-to/) [Robert W. Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-firestone/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [When we are in distress we pray genuinely, seeking forgiveness, promise to quit all sin & beg for mercy & protection. Why do we then forget?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-are-in-distress-we-pray-genuinely-seeking-forgiveness-promise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [It was right then and there that she'd realized there was no quota on misery for people, no quantifiable threshold that once reached, got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/it-was-right-then-and-there-that-she-d-realized-there-was-no-quota-on/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/you-pray-in-your-distress-and-in-your-need-would-that-you-might-also/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cj-roberts/this-isn-t-a-romance-you-re-not-a-damsel-in-distress-and-i-m-not-the/) [CJ Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cj-roberts/) > [“Ivy waved the wet handkerchief, as much as to say, words cannot possibly articulate my profound distress. Then, because Ivy never settled for meaningful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/ivy-waved-the-wet-handkerchief-as-much-as-to-say-words-cannot/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [They have stolen the public lands. They have grasped all to themselves, and by their unprincipled greed brought a crisis of unparalleled distress on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-kearney/they-have-stolen-the-public-lands-they-have-grasped-all-to-themselves/) [Denis Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-kearney/) > [I believe that what so saddens the reformer is not his sympathy with his fellows in distress, but, though he be the holiest son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-believe-that-what-so-saddens-the-reformer-is-not-his-sympathy-with/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Patience will benefit you in every hour, every time and every opportunity. It helps you to overcome your opponent, howsoever strong he may be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abd-al-karim-qasim/patience-will-benefit-you-in-every-hour-every-time-and-every/) Abd al-Karim Qasim > [Grief that is dazed and speechless is out of fashion: the modern woman mourns her husband loudly and tells you the whole story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/grief-that-is-dazed-and-speechless-is-out-of-fashion-the-modern-woman/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) [Browse all 686 Distress quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distress/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each works-in-progress for as long as we live, and I was no different. When you’re in emotional distress, your life can feel like you’re spiraling up or down at any given moment. If these ups and downs are extreme and chronic, they do damage to your mind, body, and soul, and your relationships with other people, including those who care about you most. Recovery and healing require patience, something that is difficult for many people, and certainly was difficult for someone like me. But, I learned to submit to patience because it was either go step-by-step or die. Having patience means knowing that it is never too late to get well.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenifer Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-condition-was-until-i-was-thirty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distress" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-condition-was-until-i-was-thirty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/jenifer-lewis-9983_distress_i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-conditi_2654332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each…” — Jenifer Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jenifer Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I didn’t have a name for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-condition-was-until-i-was-thirty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-didn-t-have-a-name-for-what-my-condition-was-until-i-was-thirty/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```