--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With mental illness the trick is to not…" description: "\"With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings so seriously; you’re zooming in and zooming away from things that go from being too importan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg" --- # With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings… ![“With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings so seriously; you’re zooming in and zooming away from things that go from being too important to being not important at all.” quote by Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg) > “With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings so seriously; you’re zooming in and zooming away from things that go from being too important to being not important at all.” [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotional intensity can distort perception; balance is key. **In simple terms:** Don't let feelings dominate your view. Key Takeaway Practice emotional regulation techniques. Themes mental health emotions balance Mood empathetic calm Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - therapy sessions - daily journaling - stressful work - relationships Key Concepts cognitive distortion mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your emotional over‑focus? - How can you create distance from intense feelings? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can lead to paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) ## Related quotes > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. 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I just wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-zoo-show-i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-study-of-someone/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [I think that people do things for a reason - that we have mental illness, that we have genetic wiring that can get triggered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-think-that-people-do-things-for-a-reason-that-we-have-mental/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“Having a mental illness is like riding a really fast merry-go-round that never stops. There's no escape. You're stuck. But once in a while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassia-leo/having-a-mental-illness-is-like-riding-a-really-fast-merry-go-round/) [Cassia Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassia-leo/) > [I know that if I could really understand mental illness, then it would be appropriate to make a big career shift. I would become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-if-i-could-really-understand-mental-illness-then-it-would/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Physically, I'm healthy as a horse, always held up. But in the mental illness department, I got my share. It's just what I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/physically-i-m-healthy-as-a-horse-always-held-up-but-in-the-mental/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [Finding a calm place inside myself through meditation kind of helped me to get over a lot of mental illness ... it's just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/finding-a-calm-place-inside-myself-through-meditation-kind-of-helped/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [Mental illness is real, and I got them. I don't know if it's the multiple concussions or the lifestyle choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hall/mental-illness-is-real-and-i-got-them-i-don-t-know-if-it-s-the/) [Scott Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hall/) > [It seemed to me the basic definition of mental illness, this persistent, painful inability to simply be with someone else. It might be lifelong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-thompson/it-seemed-to-me-the-basic-definition-of-mental-illness-this/) [Tracy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-thompson/) > [I was hoping that I could say stuff about mental illness that maybe people didn't know. You know, speak up for bipolar disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-millegan/i-was-hoping-that-i-could-say-stuff-about-mental-illness-that-maybe/) [Eric Millegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-millegan/) > [My father's very public life as Famous Amos was the opposite of that of his ex-wife, my mother Shirley, who was fighting a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-amos/my-father-s-very-public-life-as-famous-amos-was-the-opposite-of-that/) [Shawn Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-amos/) > [We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-do-not-have-to-visit-a-madhouse-to-find-disordered-minds-our/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I have spent most of my life working with mental illness. I have been president of the world's largest association of mental-illness workers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-working-with-mental-illness-i-have-been/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) ## More by Mark Vonnegut > [Most adults have forgotten what they had to do to survive childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/most-adults-have-forgotten-what-they-had-to-do-to-survive-childhood/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [I didn't like the '60s because it was too important what people who had nothing to do with the war thought about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/i-didn-t-like-the-60s-because-it-was-too-important-what-people-who/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“He couldn't help thinking that all that money we were spending blowing up things and killing people so far away, making people the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/he-couldn-t-help-thinking-that-all-that-money-we-were-spending/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“Beyond a certain point, gathering further evidence of the hurtfulness and shortcomings of one’s family, employer, et cetera is like eating the same poisonous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/beyond-a-certain-point-gathering-further-evidence-of-the-hurtfulness/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“I often took him as one of God's little jokes on me. When I was in desperate trouble, what saved me from a fate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/i-often-took-him-as-one-of-god-s-little-jokes-on-me-when-i-was-in/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [I take care of military families. Their sacrifices are very real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/i-take-care-of-military-families-their-sacrifices-are-very-real/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [Colds, ulcers, flu, and cancer are things we get. Schizophrenia is something we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/colds-ulcers-flu-and-cancer-are-things-we-get-schizophrenia-is/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“If nothing I say sparks any thoughts or identification, it’s possible you’re taking too much medication. If it’s the greatest talk you’ve ever heard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/if-nothing-i-say-sparks-any-thoughts-or-identification-it-s-possible/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [Having their feelings make sense is how people get their kicks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/having-their-feelings-make-sense-is-how-people-get-their-kicks/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [Knowing that you're crazy doesn't make the crazy things stop happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/knowing-that-you-re-crazy-doesn-t-make-the-crazy-things-stop-happening/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“I don’t think the people today who start hearing voices, stop eating and sleeping, and run amuck are likely to get good treatment. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/i-don-t-think-the-people-today-who-start-hearing-voices-stop-eating/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“At the end of his life, which had included financial ruin in the Great Depression, his wife's barbiturate addiction and death by overdose, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/at-the-end-of-his-life-which-had-included-financial-ruin-in-the-great/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“My parents were told by the principal of West Barnstable Elementary School and my teacher that I was a bright boy whose spelling was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/my-parents-were-told-by-the-principal-of-west-barnstable-elementary/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“If you want to pick out the people who go crazy from time to time in my family, find the ones in the photos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/if-you-want-to-pick-out-the-people-who-go-crazy-from-time-to-time-in/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“Writing is very hard mostly because until you try to write something down, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing you understand things. Writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/writing-is-very-hard-mostly-because-until-you-try-to-write-something/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) [Explore all 67 Mark Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) ## More Feelings quotes > [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/) [Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/) [Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If someone really loves you, no matter how many other people they meet, their feelings for you wouldn't change. A real lover cant be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-really-loves-you-no-matter-how-many-other-people-they-meet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) > [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 21,172 Feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings so seriously; you’re zooming in and zooming away from things that go from being too important to being not important at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not-take-your-feelings-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feelings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not-take-your-feelings-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/mark-vonnegut-10170_feelings_with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not_506797.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With mental illness the trick is to not take your feelings so seriously; you’re zooming in and zooming away…” — Mark Vonnegut", "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": "Mark Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With mental illness the trick is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not-take-your-feelings-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/with-mental-illness-the-trick-is-to-not-take-your-feelings-so/#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 } } ] } ```