Photo by Fernando Brasil on Unsplash
If you or someone you love is going through a challenging time in life, it can be incredibly difficult to maintain a sense of calm and happiness. In the thick and sometimes debilitating moments of darkness, it can feel like there is nowhere to turn for peace and wellbeing. There are tools you can learn to implement in your daily life that doesn’t cost a dime. These tools can be wildly transformative for your mental health. I want to highlight adopting mantras in your daily activities.
Growing up with chronic depression and anxiety meant mornings were nearly impossible to navigate. Often I wasn’t starting my day on the right foot. I would think to myself, “How can I even imagine having a productive or happy day?” Even in my early twenties, I found myself having trouble getting out of bed in time to get to school and work. I dreaded waking up in the morning because I knew the rest of my day would feel disjointed and chaotic. But after doing research as to how I could cultivate better practices to manage my symptoms, I came across the powerful tool of developing and honoring daily mantras.
Mantra comes from a Sanskrit word meaning a “sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel.” Mantras are a string of words to help you center yourself and provide meditative moments throughout your day. You can chant a mantra during yoga or meditation; you can write it down in your journal or post-it note on your mirror; you can even just say it in passing during your day. There are so many ways you can incorporate mantras into your life. The more you use, the more you will start to see moments of wellbeing and happiness cultivated.
Here are examples of the mantras I implement on a daily basis:
When I am feeling anxious about something out of my control:
Everything is working out the best-case scenario.
Why this works:
Often anxiety is rooted in uncertainty and anticipation. It can be easy to put our blinders on and assume the worst outcome is on its way. But what if you reframe your perspective to believe that no matter what happens next, you are still on the right path? Recently I applied for a new job and I was nervous as to whether I would be chosen. In my journal, I wrote down “Everything is working out best-case scenario.” Then I sat and reflected by reminding myself that a) if I got the job it would open up new opportunities for me and b) if I did not get that job it meant that something better for me is on its way. This instantly helped relieve some of the anxiety I was feeling.
When I need a little help for writer’s block:
The energy of creative abundance flows through me!
Why I use this:
A mantra can be used to cultivate an emotion or mindset you are wanting to experience but aren’t currently feeling. By repeating this above mantra, I am giving myself the opportunity to be creative. I am affirming it. Sometimes I have to repeat this one often and pair it with other energizing actions like dancing or going for a walk.
How to Formulate a Mantra:
- Identify something that you want to improve or alternatively something you want to focus more energy on. For example, I want to be more compassionate to myself and love the body I currently have.
- Create a phrase that affirms that outcome. “I am” phrases help you cement this emotion in yourself. So for this example, I could create the following mantra: I am cultivating daily compassion and love for myself.
- Repeat often and daily. It helps to write it down or say it out loud to really cement it.
The practice of creating and using mantras is a fantastic way to cultivate peace in your daily life. Not only are you making one small commitment to yourself, but you are starting to build a toolbox of methods and phrases that you can deploy when you are feeling off-kilter or just woke up on the wrong side of the day.
