{"id":83224,"date":"2022-11-10T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T14:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=83224"},"modified":"2022-11-11T10:25:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T14:25:08","slug":"daily-mantras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/daily-mantras\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Mantras and Affirmations to Reprogram Your Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\u2019s the purpose of a mantra? What are the psychological benefits of reciting daily mantras?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mantra is a word or phrase used to help train the mind to be in the present and instill a certain state of mind. Reciting or meditating on mantras can help you reprogram your mind from life\u2019s conditioning and limiting beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how reciting mantras can help you reprogram your mind along with some examples of daily mantras you can use for your practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mantras and Affirmations Are Tools for Change<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meditating on a mantra is one of the core practices used for cultivating mindfulness<\/a> in Buddhism, it\u2019s also widely recommended in positive psychology<\/a>. A mantra can be simply a sound used in meditation<\/a>, such as \u201cOm,\u201d or it can be a statement, such as a positive affirmation, used to focus the mind on a specific thought or idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific research has confirmed the usefulness of using daily mantras and affirmations<\/a>. With regular practice, the use of mantras and affirmations<\/a> has been shown to decrease stress, help people make changes in diet and exercise, and even improve academic performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many self-help authors stress the usefulness of mantras and positive affirmations for realizing desired outcomes. Here are some examples of daily mantras to inspire your practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daily Mantra for Success<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Gay Hendricks, the author of The Big Leap<\/em>, reciting daily mantras can help you reprogram your mind from life’s conditioning and limiting beliefs. To that end, he recommends reciting his \u201cUniversal Success Mantra\u201d: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI expand in abundance, success, and love every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hendricks recommends repeating it in sequence with your breath in meditation daily. As you repeat it, notice any resistance your mind has to the mantra. It\u2019s natural\u2014just notice it and go back to the mantra. It will take practice to retrain your mind; you\u2019re deprogramming from a lifetime of embedded false beliefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to setting aside time to focus<\/a> on your mantra in meditation, occasionally just repeat it as you go about your day any time you think of it. You may also want to write the mantra down on pieces of paper and put them where you\u2019ll see them throughout the day, for example in your house, car, or office, in order to prompt yourself to repeat it regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: The Big Leap
\nAUTHOR: Gay Hendricks
\nTIME: 22
\nREADS: 44.6
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\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-big-leap-summary-gay-hendricks
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\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daily Mantra for Positivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mantras can also teach you how to think more positively. A recent study into the effect of mantras confirms that repeating a single word or short phrase quiets your internal critic<\/a>. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brain blood flow patterns of people who silently repeated a mantra. The imaging showed a reduction of activity across the brain, primarily in the area of the brain<\/a> that gives rise to internal thoughts\u2014this is the area that generates self-critical and negative thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make positivity mantras most effective, mind coach Vex King recommends creating honest and achievable affirmations, writing them down in your own voice and in the present tense, making them as detailed as possible. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a confident, smart person who can handle any challenge that I face. Nothing can bring me down and make me feel negative because I have an impenetrable bubble of positivity surrounding me all the time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: Good Vibes, Good Life
\nAUTHOR: Vex King
\nTIME: 14
\nREADS: 39.3
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\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Positive Mantras and Affirmations Actually Work?<\/strong>

In his review of scientific literature on positive affirmations, addictions counselor Steve Rose noticed that positive affirmations don\u2019t often work the way we expect them to<\/a>. Despite claims that affirmations help us battle our worst thoughts and moods, studies show that isn\u2019t totally accurate. One study found that using affirmations we don\u2019t already believe may actually make us feel worse<\/a>. Another noticed that while listening<\/em> to positive affirmations may help boost your mood, reading<\/em> them may lead to unproductive self-reflection<\/a>. 

This doesn\u2019t mean mantras and affirmations are useless, but if you find they make you feel worse<\/em>, don\u2019t force it. You can\u2019t compel yourself to instantly accept something you don\u2019t believe\u2014yet.So when do<\/em> affirmations work? Rose says they\u2019re better for affirming beliefs you already hold. One study found stating your values or beliefs out loud can boost your motivation or guide your internal compass<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Use Your Mantras <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Engaging with your mantras regularly, like your goals, helps you draw the most benefits. Here are some tips for practicing daily mantra meditation: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Read them two or three times per day<\/strong>. Read them aloud if it makes sense to do so. Read them when you wake up, in the middle of the day, and before you go to bed. <\/li>
  2. Visualize doing what the mantra says.<\/strong> Rather than thinking about how you\u2019d look from someone else\u2019s perspective, picture how it will feel from your perspective. How will it look? How will you feel? What will you hear? For example, if your mantra is feeling great from hiking, imagine hearing the wind in the trees, smelling the fresh air, and feeling accomplished that you went the distance.<\/li>
  3. Say the mantra a second time.<\/strong><\/li>
  4. Repeat these steps with each of your mantras.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some other ways to regularly use your mantras:<\/p>\n\n\n\n