Mantras and affirmations have become a powerful source of love and confidence in my life. I first heard of them through one of my favorite registered dietitians, Colleen Christensen (@no.food.rules). Little did I know how much they could upgrade my life.
I’m going to be telling you what mantras are, how they are transforming my life, and ways to implement them into your life.
What are Mantras?
So, what even is a mantra? This word and concept originally came from the Hinduism and Buddhism culture. According to them, a mantra is a word or sound that is repeated and concentrated on during meditation. You can definitely use mantras in that way, but the way I’m talking about is a little different.
The mantras that I am talking about are words or phrases that you repeat in your head to replace negative thoughts. I also use affirmations, which are pretty similar, but they’re usually geared towards specifically encouraging or positive thoughts.
Mantras and affirmations can really be anything you want them to be. You can say in your head over and over that you’re a millionaire, or that you have your dream job. Pretty much, anything that you want to manifest into your life, you can make a mantra from (more on manifestation, here).
The mantras and affirmations that I most often apply to my life have to do with food and body image.
How I Use Mantras and Affirmations
As I said before, the way that I typically use mantras and affirmations in my life is when it comes to food and body image.
I’ve struggled, and still do struggle at times with my body image. I have a few blog posts talking about that more in detail, which I’ll link to at the end of this post. From my experience, I’ve found that the best way to overcome any negative thoughts about your body that enter your mind, is to replace them with a positive or neutral thought.
Let me explain. Let’s say that I’ve overeaten one night, and now I’m feeling uncomfortably full or am feeling that I ate “too much.” My mind would normally go to thoughts such as “that’s too much food” or “you need to eat healthier tomorrow.” These, my friends, are thoughts from the FOOD POLICE. A person that we don’t want around.
Changing Your Brain
If you ever get these thoughts from the food police, they can be frustrating and overwhelming. No one knows your body better than you, not even this food police. So, if I happen to have one of these negative thoughts, I replace it with a mantra such as “I gave my body energy” or “I trust that my body is smart and knows how to handle the food I give it.” These positive and nurturing thoughts take my mind away from the negative ones.
This is called rewiring your brain. You are rewiring your brain so that whenever you do have a negative thought, it will automatically be replaced with your mantra, and you won’t even need to think about it. It will become second nature, and the negative thoughts won’t even make their way into your radar.
I also like to use mantras if I have negative thoughts about my body. If I look in the mirror and don’t like how my stomach looks, instead of thinking negatively about myself, I’ll say to myself, “this is a human stomach.” Nothing positive or negative, I’m just stating a fact. I also go into this more in my Problem with Body Love post.
Mantras to Change Your Life
If you think that mantras could benefit your life (which I know they can), but have no idea where to start, try some of these.
Body Image Affirmations
I deserve to give my body energy.
My body is strong and takes me amazing places.
Food gives me energy, I don’t give it energy.
I workout to feel strong, not to change my body.
My body is smart, and I trust it.
Affirmations When You Don’t Feel Good Enough
I AM enough and always will be.
Anyone who doesn’t think I am enough does not deserve my energy.
Even if I don’t think I’m enough yet, someone else does.
I trust the path of my life.
I’m on my own journey and won’t compare mine to anyone else’s.
Mantras for Stress
I will not let stress consume my life.
My body needs a break, and I should listen to it.
Stress is temporary, I won’t let it last forever.
I will handle one task at a time.
Nothing is too big or powerful for me. I am strong and can handle what comes my way.
Sleep and Anxiety Relief Affirmations
My anxiety does not define me.
I am safe, and everything is alright.
My body deserves rest.
Me and my family are healthy. Everything is okay.
My anxiety is making me feel this way. Nothing is wrong with me.
I hope that these mantras and affirmations will be helpful in your life. If you ever feel yourself getting stressed, anxious, or having a bad body image day, replace those thoughts with one of the mantras. I promise, the more you do it and stick with it, the easier it will become.
xoxo
More Helpful Posts
- Thinner Doesn’t Equal Happier
- How I Eat Dessert Everyday
- Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food
- “Skinny” is Not a Compliment
- Life’s Too Short to Count Your Calories
