I first learned about mantras from my dad. He would always be reciting something under his breath and I would constantly ask what's today's mantra dad? The one he would always respond with was: "I feel good, I feel fine, I feel great." He still repeats that mantra to this day, nearly every day. And every time I feel anxiety coming on, I do too. This is an easy mantra that works! It's worked for me in countless anxiety-producing situations. Like when I'm driving and stuck in traffic, or a big one is when I'm driving over a bridge. I hate bridges. I always feel like I'm going to drive right off the bridge into the abyss. Weird. I know. I repeat this mantra when I'm running. After 3-miles in of hard trail running, the body begins to get tired so having a personal mantra you can repeat over and over again really helps. Another one I say a lot to myself is: "keep going, Genevieve." That one works really well on the running trails because it's easy. And it really helps me to keep going!
Another one of my all-time favorite mantras is: "I'm alright, right now." This one is amazing at putting the instant chill factor all over my body. I say it when I go to the bathroom, yes, I inspect when I use the bathroom (major ocd over here) and it's a habit I'm trying desperately to break, so I keep my bathroom trips quick and short. I'm in and out, and I don't hang out in there or else I'll be standing over the toilet inspecting. It may sound gross to you, but it's a real addiction for some of us. And if you do this too, I'm right there with you, fighting one OCD battle at a time.
So now that you know nearly all of my weird and TMI quirks, let's get down to business. Why do we need mantras? We need mantras to get us out of bed in the morning, to keep our motivation up, to conquer our fears, and to battle the inner demons that doubt us every step of the way. We need to be fierce in self-protecting our self-esteem in a world that is constantly trying to tear it apart. We need to keep moving forward and fiercely believing in ourselves and mantras help us do just that. Don't believe me? Try saying a mantra to yourself when you wake up in the morning, every day for one week and tell me how much better each day becomes. By the end of the week, you'll wonder why you didn't have a daily mantra years ago.
How do I say a mantra? Keep is simple. Keep it short. Keep it sweet. Here is one of my favorites: "I am loved." It's easy, it's three words, and it works. Anytime doubt creeps in I repeat to myself "I am loved." I do this because I am loved. I love myself and I have people who love me. And if you feel like you don't love yourself, saying the mantra "I am loved" will help you to love yourself.
Here's another easy one: "I deserve good" easy right? Again, it's only three words and it will make you believe that you do deserve good because you deserve all the good coming to you. But before the good stuff can come your way, you need to believe that you deserve good that good things are coming your way. Try this for a week and watch all of the goodness unfold.
Believe it before you see it. You need to believe in all of the good possibilities even if you have no clue how you are going to get them. You need to believe in the itinerary of the good life you deserve. Let me repeat that again so it's ingrained in your mind. You need to believe in the itinerary of the good life you deserve. Say it again so it really sinks in. This technique is called mind mapping and it's done wonders for my personal and professional life. It's why I have my border collie Roxy and it's how I met my husband. I did mind mapping before it was even a thing. Mind mapping is where you visualize your future and then you write down or draw out that visualization in a planner or on a calendar or on a vision board. Whatever your jam is, the main thing to do is to write it down. Want a husband? Write it down. Want a dog? Write it down. Want to buy a house? Write it down. Mind mapping has been used in many cultures for many centuries because it works. Hello Egyptians. They drew everything on walls to create their futures and all of that stuff actually came true. History is neat, isn't it? Do mind mapping every day by creating lists of what you want to achieve that day or create a monthly vision board.
Mantra's are easy and I could write pages and pages on them and their benefits but then I'd lose you and I don't want to do that. So here's the basic jist of it. Pick three mantra's you want on repeat and pick them for different aspects of your life. I have one for driving, for my goals, for going to the bathroom, I even have one for the shower. Then say those mantra's constantly. When I'm running, I tell myself to keep going. My shower one is: "I wash away the negative aspects of the day and I accept the positive aspects of the day." When I'm writing, I say: "I am loved," and so on. I even state mantra's when I'm sending e-mails to things I want. I repeat my personal mantra the entire time I composing the e-mail so that it's all wrapped up in good vibrations.
Try these tricks and see how much better your life unfolds. Watch the new opportunties that come your way and create your own magic.
You can do it, I believe in YOU.
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