How I Use Simple Mantras To Improve My Mindset

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share a bit about jewelry, and a lot about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I am sharing more about my mantra practice. Since the coronavirus outbreak, I've been super intentional about setting a mantra each morning to come back to during moments of sadness or panic (it's been a rollercoaster of emotions, hasn't it?!). I've been sharing these mantras on my Instagram each day and I've gotten so much positive feedback that I thought I'd discuss this practice a little more in this week's journal entry.

Someone asked, "How did you start this practice and how can I start my own?" and I honestly never thought about it before. It was a very organic process for me. I started listening to guided meditations and oftentimes there would be a phrase or two in the meditation that would really resonate with me. For instance, "Today I have everything I need" would be a great example of a mantra that would resonate with me right now, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak where money, food, toilet paper and health are no longer guarantees. I would take that phrase with me throughout the day and repeat it when I felt stressed, overwhelmed, nervous, or depressed. I started doing this more and more often, until eventually it turned into a full-blown daily practice. I now have a journal where I write down the phrases that resonate with me and when I need a good mantra for the day, all I have to do is open this journal and pick one that strikes the mood for the day.

So how can you start selecting your own daily mantras? I'd recommend the same course of action! Listen to guided meditations (p.s. they don't need to be long - there are many 5 minute meditations available online for free). Then start writing down the phrases from the meditations that resonate with you. You'll know them when you hear them because the words will cause a wave of calm to flow over your body. Then, when you feel panic, stress, or sadness during the day, go back to that sheet of paper and silently read those calming phrases to yourself. You'll build up a collection of mantra phrases in no time, and you can come back to it every morning to select one to take with you throughout the day. If you are new to meditation, I like Gabby Bernstein a lot. Her mediations are typically short, accessible, and not intimidating.   

Why do mantras work? I think mantras are important because they reframe the story you've got running through your head. You can repeat negative thoughts all day long, or you can repeat positive thoughts all day long. The choice is yours. However, most of us are not even aware of the thoughts in our head, let alone whether they are positive or negative (and unfortunately for some reason the human brain always wants to repeat negative stories). There is tremendous power in gaining this awareness, and then using it for good. It was actually a big part of my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner as I had to reframe the negative, limiting career stories I was telling myself. Maybe I'll write about that next week!

Stay positive, stay calm, stay healthy!

xoxo,

Stacy