It’s been said that the average person has over 6,000 thoughts per day.
And if you consider the stresses and anxieties of modern life, it’s likely that many of us have cycled through tons of negative thoughts in one day, and probably in one setting! That’s why it’s so essential to incorporate positive mantras.
In order to maintain our well-being and have a healthy outlook on life, it’s key to offset our negative thoughts with the use of positive mantras.
A mantra is a repeated word or sound. It has traditionally been used in meditation practice as a way to relax the mind and achieve concentration.
While you don’t need to be a meditation devotee to glean the benefits of positive mantras, it does help to make a concerted effort to be mindful about your words. As they say, words have power. And using negative words or phrases can influence our perception about ourselves and our lives. When we repeatedly use negative phrases like “I suck” or “this day sucks,” the words can take hold, negatively shaping our day, our attitude, and even our reality.
The power of words is such that the positive ones can just as easily influence our outlook. We just have to be more aware of the words we choose and incorporate them more often.
Ahead, we’ll take a look at the ways in which you can integrate positive mantras into your day along with our favorite inspirational quotes that you can use to empower yourself.
Benefits of positive mantras
There are a number of ways that positive mantras can improve your mind-set and well-being.
Positive mantras can help you relax. With so much discourse happening in our own minds, we need a way to quiet these thoughts and calm down. The repetition of a single phrase gives our distracted mind something to latch onto. This can help us focus and quiet the chatter.
Positive mantras can help you find your intention. We’ve all had days when we’ve felt like we’ve lost our way. A mantra can help remind you that your goals are meaningful and that you have a bigger purpose.
Positive mantras can empower. It’s so easy to get down on ourselves and criticize our every move. It seems only fair that we should balance out the negative thoughts with positive talk. Sometimes we need to say those positive words out loud so that we can believe them. Positive messages can shift our mindset and give us the motivation we need to believe in ourselves.
Positive mantras can help you be more present. When we feel anxious or stressed, it’s often because our mind is preoccupied with something that has happened in the past or something that we’ve yet to experience. It’s so easy to remind people to “live in the moment” but it’s more difficult to actually do it. A simple way to find yourself in the here and now is to repeat a mantra.
Instead of allowing our minds to park itself in the past or race ahead into the future, the repetition of a positive phrase can bring us back to the present.
Different ways you can incorporate positive mantras
Mindful activity. The next time you draw in a coloring book or even doing something simple like folding laundry or doing the dishes, you can recite a positive mantra to yourself. Combining positive words with a mindful activity can be very grounding and create a more peaceful experience.
Morning routine. Recite positive mantras first thing in the morning to get your day off to a positive start.
Evening routine. If you’re not a morning person, consider reciting positive mantras as part of your evening wind down routine. The sense of calm you achieve can help ensure you get a restful sleep.
Journaling. Incorporate positive mantras into your journaling practice. Reflect on the meaning of the words and see how they can guide you. How do these mantras shape your outlook on your goals, your personal relationships, and your community? Through this writing exercise, you can even try coming up with your own mantras. What are some words or images that evoke a sense of calm and strength?
Up ahead, we have inspiring quotes that you can use as positive mantras. When we see positive words from respected figures, it has a profound effect. We start to believe that if these people were able to overcome hardship and find happiness and success, then we are just as capable to achieve that as well.
You can also use these quotes as a jumping off point to inspire you to write your own mantras. What are some mantras you can use to help you connect with your goals and your intention for the year?
- “I am the master of my fate,I am the captain of my soul.” - William Ernest Henley, from his poem Invictus
- “Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” - Michelle Obama
- “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - A.A. Milne
- “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I’m possible!” - Audrey Hepburn
- “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” - Buddha
- “One moment can change a day. One day can change a life. One life can change the world.” - Buddha
- “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” - Rumi
- “Life is not as serious as the mind makes it out to be.” - Eckhart Tolle
- “Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
- “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.” - Jon Kabat Zinn
- “I am grateful for what I am and have.” - Henry David Thoreau
- “Forever is composed of nows.” - Emily Dickinson
- “Act without expectation.” - Lao Tzu
