Guide To Using Mantras And Affirmations

Your beliefs and thought patterns play an important role in your overall happiness and ability to achieve your full potential. These days, there are many tools available to help you manage stress such as meditation, diet and lifestyle changes, and self-care. Mantras or affirmations are another simple yet powerful tool that can be used every day, in a variety of different ways.

Affirmations and mantras are very similar to each other. Affirmations are positive reminders or short statements that can be used to replace negative thoughts, motivate, encourage and relax you. They offer a powerful way to improve your mindset on a daily basis. Mantras are more about sacred phrases that have been used for a long time, while affirmations are more for inspiration and motivation. Both can be used for the purpose of helping you to relax, reduce stress and maintain positivity throughout your life.

Why Use Mantras and Affirmations

They help you manage specific stressful situations: Mantras and affirmations work better for specific stressors rather than chronic, generalized stress. These positive statements can help you understand that you can deal with the situation without letting it get to you.

You gain more confidence moving forward: Stress tends to have a snowball effect in your life and makes you feel worse, not just in your situation, but about yourself. You might need a little boost of confidence in order to regain your life back after something traumatic or life-changing has happened.

They can put you in a calm state: Many affirmations specifically for stress are designed to help you relax and put you into a calm state.

Positive thinking helps in every area of your life: All affirmations promote positive thinking. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you are someone with a lot of stress and anxiety, it is an amazing added benefit.

How To Use Mantras and Affirmations

Affirmations are very easy to use and how you use them will depend on your lifestyle, habits, and when you need them the most. Here are 3 simple ways to incorporate affirmations into your day - 

Write them down: Before you start your day, grab your journal or planner and write them down. This is great to help you think about how you can apply the phrases to your life and how you want to carry them out during the day. You can have one section dedicated to your affirmations, or write down a different one for each day’s journal entry, depending on what you need to work on that day.

Use them during your yoga or meditation practice: Take a few moments at the start of your practice to close your eyes and set an intention. As you move and breathe, you can then direct your efforts towards that internal goal and really reinforce the positive message. Focus on using your words and actions off the mat to support the affirmation and uplift others too.

Say them out loud: Write out your favorite affirmations and put them in a place where you will see them regularly, this might be on the refrigerator door, at your desk, or on your bathroom mirror. Every time you see the affirmations, repeat them aloud to yourself.

How To Choose Mantras and Affirmations

Affirmations and mantras work best when you choose or create statements that really resonate with your current situation or feelings. It can be helpful to consider how you want to feel and what you are using the affirmation for. 

If you’re looking for inspiration, check us out on Instagram for new weekly affirmations.