A mantra is typically a phrase or word repeated in meditation. It can be repeated aloud, internally, whispered, or even chanted. It stems from Hindu and Buddhist roots and is seen as a ‘sacred word’. Today, it’s a popular mindful practice, whether you choose to use it during meditation or otherwise. 

The Best Ways To Get The Most Out Of Those Mantras

• As you ease into using mantras, you should make yourself comfortable. You should find a quiet, calming place where you are unlikely to be disrupted or distracted. You might want to set a timer for a specific period of time so you don’t get too lost. 
• Begin by taking several deep breaths, feel yourself slip into relaxation, grounded against the floor. Your breath is your guide, and once you have settled into proper breathing you can begin using your mantra. 
• When your thoughts come to derail you, gently dismiss them, and refocus on your breath and repeat your mantra. When the timer goes give yourself a moment or two to sit with your quiet mind before you resume your day. 

Mantras will help you remain calm under fire and help you build resilience. They are clear reminders that you are unshakeable and adaptable in the face of hardship. When you feel fear starting to creep in, these mantras will remind you that you’re a victor, not a victim. 

When you repeat your mantra, you encourage your mind to release positive energy, thus decreasing negative energy and pushing away all of the stress and negative thoughts you are experiencing. It’s calming. This ancient practice calms your soul, it calms your mind, and it can help you battle against the symptoms of anxiety and depression too. 

You can experiment with a variety of mantras, you can use a different one each day, just try them out until you find one that resonates profoundly with your goals and current state of mind. There’s no harm in changing things up. For example, if you meditate each morning, you might want to start with one mantra that focuses on compassion, empathy, and strength. But for your evening meditation, you might want to achieve a deeper state of calm and peace. 

You might find it useful to place your hand over your heart as you recite these mantras. That physical touch will help you remain grounded while your focus shifts to your breath and the mantra you choose to recite. 

You should avoid using multiple mantras during the same meditation session. It’s about consistency and repetition. If you want to experiment with different phrases during the same meditation, then a guided meditation wit positive affirmations would be more appropriate. 

Personal Mantras For Hard Times

Handle Hard Times: You Are Resilient

You might have a clear idea of what you want from life, but life has a way of throwing wrenches in the works. These mantras can help you navigate even the toughest times and will serve as a clear reminder that you can roll with the punches.

Life might be uncertain, but you have hope, you can find patience, and uncover faith. Whatever comes your way, you are strong enough. Whatever happens, what you need to survive is within you. 

You’re the main character in the story you’re writing which means you are the hero no matter how hard things get… you are capable, you can do it. 

10 Mantras

Here are ten mantras you can rely on to handle hard times, we all need a helpful reminder about how resilient we are. 

1. I will not break and I will not bend
2. I am clear on the outcome but flexible on my approach. 
3. I can trust the process; I will trust the process.
4. Even though it may feel true sometimes, I know I am not alone here. 
5. I might feel like a misfit, but I’m more than that – I am a warrior.
6. I am going to live right, I am going to be worthy, and I will make a difference. 
7. Fear won’t hold me back, it’s what fuels my way forward.
8. Whatever I may be to others, in my own life I am the hero.
9. Even the smallest progress is progress.
10. Whatever you want to be, you already are. 

Empathy

At its most basic meaning, empathy is simply an awareness of others’ emotions and feelings. It is one of the key elements of emotional intelligence and provides a link between others and self. It’s an important part of the individual experience because as humans we are social creatures and understanding how others experience life matters. 

Empathy improves your ability to forge deeper relationships, it helps you regulate your emotions while understanding others’ emotions and improves your ability to communicate. As these skills improve your stress levels will fall. It also boosts resilience, which is an important skill to develop if you want to handle hard times and navigate life safely. 

You can develop deeper bonds of empathy in several ways, but one of the ways to kickstart the process is with mantras. It’s a bit different than a positive affirmation because it’s something to repeat and the more you repeat it the more powerful it grows because the deeper you feel it within yourself. 

This is why it’s such a useful meditative tool. If you have experience meditating, then you’ll know you either focus on your breath, a focal point ahead of you, or a repeated word/phrase. 

10 Mantras

1. I will use my power to improve others’ days. 
2. Others build walls, I tear them down. 
3. The little things matter and I will make an effort to do the little things daily. 
4. I will not underestimate my power to make a difference in someone else’s life. 
5. I will be present, I will be thoughtful, I will magnify others’ strengths. 
6. It’s more important to hold someone’s hand and offer a listening ear than to offer advice.
7. Self-made people don’t exist, we’re all a product of our environments.
8. You can be physically close and miles apart, I will close the gap today. 
9. I am going to be kinder than I need to be and love more than I need to. 
10. I will treat everyone with respect, I will offer a kind word to everyone I encounter. 

Handle Hard Times: Relax The Body And Mind

Life is challenging, it’s hard and at times, it can be overwhelming. It’s in those overwhelming times we are at risk of chronic stress taking hold. In fact, one of the most dangerous issues you face when going through difficult times is the stress it creates for both your body and mind. 

So, if you want to handle hard times with grace and remain relaxed in body and mind, you might want to embrace a mantra or two for your meditation sessions. Meditation provides you with stress relief and using a mantra only deepens the impact. 

The most effective way to use a mantra during a meditation is to recite it to yourself as you inhale and exhale when it’s complete. On the exhale, you can imagine all of your stress and tension being pushed out of your body. Repeat the mantra on every inhale. 

You can limit the recitation to 3 times or continue it for the duration of your meditation, the key is to settle for whatever feels comfortable to you in the moment. 

10 Mantras

Choose one of the mantras below to get started…

1. Every breath I take sinks me deeper into relaxation and calm. 
2. I control what I feel, I control how I think. I choose peace.
3. Everything I experience helps me grow as a person. 
4. I can let go. I will let go. I let go. 
5. It might feel big now, but like every stress before – this too shall pass. 
6. No matter how it feels, know that this is not about you. 
7. All is well, all is calm, all is well. 
8. Calm mind, calm spirit, calm soul. Calm. 
9. I inhale calm, I exhale stress. I inhale peace, I exhale tension. 
10. I am the universe, may I be happy, may I be free. 

Stress Management During Tough Times

Stress management is one of the most important skills you can develop. In a perfect world, it’s something we would start teaching children as soon as they enter school. Life has a way of putting heavy pressure on all of us at every stage of life.

Sadly, many of us don’t develop this skill until the stress has eaten away at us for far too long. We all experience frustration, negative thoughts, and stress to the point it destroys our day, if not an entire week at a time. The only person with the power to change or correct your course to reclaim your productivity and mood is you. 

10 Mantras

A mantra is a great place to start. Your mantra can serve as a reminder that no matter what, it really will be all okay. 

1. Whatever might be on my plate, I will handle it one task at a time. 
2. I have survived every difficult moment in my life. I will survive this one too. 
3. I will focus on quality, I will focus on my value, I will focus on my service. 
4. A vision is merely a dream with a plan of action behind it. 
5. Wherever I need to go, wherever I need to be, I will commit myself to it fully. 
6. I refuse to major in the minor things. 
7. I will keep my focus on the most important things. 
8. Every experience I go through helps me learn and grow. 
9. I will live my life to express myself not to impress others. 
10. My body is filled with light. I am calm and ready for what comes next. 

Handle Hard Times: Feel Your Feelings

Do you remember hearing the words don’t cry when you were a child? Or did someone tell you there’s no reason to be sad? Maybe it was something more along the lines of well, there’s no blood so you must be fine after a fall. Unfortunately, our culture encourages us to avoid our unpleasant emotions at any and all costs. 

It starts so young that by the time we reach adulthood we are practically professionals in emotional avoidance. So, as soon as we experience even a taste of unpleasant emotions, we plot our escape – perhaps it’s through alcohol, food, drugs, staying busy, or any number of self-harming behaviors. 

We lean away from those negative emotions, and in reality, we should be leaning into them. The only way to make it through those negative emotions is to feel them first. 

You can’t truly experience happiness and joy unless you allow yourself the time to process and experience negative feelings such as sadness and anger. When you try to numb one emotion you numb more emotions. 

You can’t possibly selectively numb the negative emotions without also influencing the positive emotions. Humans are built to experience a range of emotions. They come and go, like the tide. None of them are permanent, they’re just part of the experience. 

If you try to fight your emotions, you will only end up suffering more. The negative behaviors we engage in to numb our emotions are about as effective as a band-aid on a bullet hole. You will experience a boost, but it’s temporary.

 It hasn’t done anything for the underlying emotions you are dealing with. There are also long-term health risks at play. Meditation is an excellent tool to get to grips with your emotions. 

10 Mantras

1. My feelings are valid. 
2. I’m putting the oxygen mask on myself first. 
3. A mistake is a learning opportunity not an excuse to berate. 
4. There is a time for everything and these emotions are fleeting. 
5. I will focus on my strengths. 
6. My problems are my missions.
7. These might be my emotions, but they do not define me. 
8. I can be happy for no reason at all. 
9. All of my feelings are free and I can be happy. 
10. I am bigger than my emotions no matter how powerful they feel. 

See Past The Hardship

Sometimes, hardship can be too great for someone to overcome. As helpful as the saying when the going gets tough the tough get going can be, not everyone is ‘tough’ enough. Certainly, if you get caught up staring directly at the hardship it is fairly difficult to see past it and find the way out. Sometimes, before someone can get going everything falls apart. 

At least, that’s what can happen if you don’t take a proactive approach to seeing past the hardship. What separates someone who thrives from someone who falters? It might be difficult to imagine when you’re faced with adversity, but it’s all only temporary. It’s a moment in time, a moment that in five years will mean little to nothing at all. 

Before Nelson Mandela was voted into power as South African president, he spent almost three decades in prison. It took Abraham Lincoln eight election defeats before he finally secured his own presidency. They managed to take hardship in their stride and turn it in their favor. 

While those are extreme examples, we tend to catastrophize. So, any hardship we face feels like the worst possible hardship we could be facing. In reality, you are more than strong enough to handle it. 

You just need a reminder of that, which is what the mantras below are for. While there are ten to choose from, your best bet is to choose the one that feels most relevant or appropriate for the situation you find yourself in. 

10 Mantras

1. You are where you need to be. 
2. Just keep breathing. Just keep going. 
3. I won’t rush myself. 
4. I am more than enough. 
5. It might not feel like it, but this is passing. 
6. The greatest meditation is total surrender.
7. This is nothing I haven’t handled before or can’t handle now. 
8. I refuse to sweat the small stuff. 
9. My why is only for me. 
10. I trust that I will find my way. 

Acceptance – Let Go Of That Which You Cannot Control

It is easy to feel unhappy when you focus on the impossible. Happiness doesn’t begin with a promotion, more money, an improved relationship, or in any of the ways you might think it does. Happiness begins with you, inside you, within your thoughts, and in the stories that you tell yourself. When you resist that truth, you try too hard to control the things that you have no control over whatsoever. 

You can’t control everything that happens to you. What you can control is whether they reduce you or not. You can’t control everything that happens to you. What you can control is how you respond to it. When you change yourself, you change everything. 

You get to choose what doesn’t matter. You get to choose what does matter. The meaning that anything takes in life is the meaning that you give it. Your struggles can be obstacles or they can be the tools you use to motivate yourself. You get to control your outlook on life. 

What won’t change the outcome is worrying about it, trying to control it, or obsessing over it. Using mantras is an excellent way to train your brain to see lessons in situations rather than hardship and despair. 

The mantras below can help you learn to let go of the things you can’t control and accept life as it comes to you. If you have no meditative experience, I want to give you a brief lesson on how to do so with a mantra. 

10 Mantras

1. I will accept everything. 
2. Whatever happens, it is for the best. 
3. A dead-end is merely a detour. 
4. My dreams can come true in new and unexpected ways.
5. I won’t resist my circumstances. 
6. I expect nothing and work for everything. 
7. I choose to respond not react. 
8. I will not overreact, no matter what. 
9. Whatever it is, it’s only temporary. 
10. My current circumstance is not my permanent reality. 

No Matter How Bad It Feels Now, It Won’t Feel This Way Forever

It’s easy to get caught up in negativity when you are facing a difficult situation. It’s easy to feel as though whatever is going on in the moment will haunt you forever. But the reality is that no matter how bad it feels right now, it won’t feel this way forever. 

Our emotions are always valid, but they aren’t always rooted in reality. And, when those emotions overwhelm us it becomes difficult to cast a logical eye on the situation. We get caught up in the tide of our emotions and lose focus on the reality of what is going on in our lives. You aren’t dealing with a forever problem, it only feels as though you are because you are struggling to manage your emotions. 

Imagine, if you will, a glass of water. It’s filled right to the rim. It’s fine, you have it under control, and then suddenly someone drops an ice cube in the glass and water is spilling out everywhere. That is your emotions when you meet a twist in the road.

It feels like the end of the world because you are caught up trying to clean the mess rather than addressing the source of the problem. In this case, a mantra can help you manage those big emotions. Sometimes, you just need to be reminded that no matter how it feels now it won’t feel this way forever. 

10 Mantras

1. It will pass more quickly if I don’t resist. 
2. When I get through this, I will be stronger for it. 
3. I am safe and sound. 
4. The future and the past have no hold on me in the present. 
5. If I don’t give it power it cannot hurt me. 
6. I can’t change the outcome with worry. 
7. I know I’m stronger than I think I am. 
8. While things are going wrong, there’s more going right. 
9. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems. 
10. Nothing lasts forever and neither will this. 

Handle Hard Times: You Are Bigger Than Your Problems

How do you respond to problems when you stand before them? Do they loom large? Do they feel as though they’re bigger than your capabilities? Or do you recognize them for what they are? A temporary hiccup. It’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of our problems.

They can be so sharp it’s difficult to look beyond them to recognize that no problem is bigger than you are. No matter what it is you are faced with, you have the strength to overcome. 

Ultimately, how you handle the hard times dictates how you come out the other end, and if you are fooled into thinking they’re bigger than you, you will stumble and fall every time another comes along. Think of this as training. You are training yourself to handle hard times more effectively. You are training yourself to recognize that you are capable of handling anything life can throw at you because you are bigger than your problems. 

A mantra is a really great place to start that training because the repetition of a mantra makes it more likely that the message of the mantra will sink in with you. Let’s be honest, the reason you started thinking your problems were bigger than you is because you told yourself stories saying so. With a mantra, you can flip the script. It’s time for a new story. 

10 Mantras

1. I didn’t get this far to only come this far. 
2. I get what I put my focus on. 
3. If I can make an excuse then I can find a way.
4. Wake up, Take Names, Be Kind. 
5. I do this for me. 
6. My actions can conquer my fears. 
7. I’ll do it today. 
8. I won’t wish for it, I will work for it. 
9. I don’t need perfection to find excellence. 
10. My intention will create my reality. 

Grief And Loss

When you go through a period of loss or experience bereavement, it can be difficult to embrace your feelings to work through them. Those emotions can be so heavy that it feels impossible to climb out from beneath them. Which is where mantras enter the chat. A mantra can serve as a motivation to overcome your grief.

A mantra helps you move forward, take action, or simply strengthen your resolve for what you are experiencing. When you’re grieving you have to deal with your emotions because it’s the only way to heal. A mantra will help you focus on your strength. 

Mantras are adaptable which means that there is all manner of mantras you can use when you’re going through something new. While those below are specifically designed to help you through grief and loss, you can adapt them to assist you with whatever you are experiencing at the moment. Once you’re comfortable using mantras you can try to design your own, when they are specific to you, they resonate more deeply. 

10 Mantras

1. I know I am strong enough to deal with grief. 
2. I will allow myself to feel because this allows me to heal. 
3. I am stronger and bigger than my emotions. 
4. I am stronger and bigger than the waves of grief. 
5. I let go of pain, not of happy memories. 
6. My pain is a reminder of how deeply I love. 
7. It takes time to recover and I will heal when it’s time. 
8. When my pain is healed, I will uncover profound wisdom. 
9. Love will guide me. 
10. I will focus on love, not loss. 

Let Go Of Fear

Fear can feel overwhelming and often it is our emotions that fuel fear. Rarely is our fear rooted in reality, which is why it’s important to get to grips with it before it can take control of the narrative. 

One of the driving forces behind fear, aside from false stories, is a swell of negative emotions and stress that have grown out of control. When you learn to get your stress and negative emotions under control, you can think more logically about the problem you are facing thus getting to grips with your fear. 

How can you do that? Well, one of the most effective ways to manage stress is through meditation. And, if you want to make the most out of your meditation sessions, then having a mantra is an excellent way to do so. So, we have compiled ten mantras to encourage you to let go of fear and you will find them below. 

10 Mantras

1. I’m letting go for all of the right reasons. 
2. I am letting go of the indecision and unknown fueling my fear. 
3. I’m letting go. 
4. I am strong enough to take control. 
5. This fear feels real but I know it’s not. 
6. I release the hold fear has over me. 
7. I embrace the courage to overcome fear. 
8. I will overcome fear. 
9. I can overcome fear. 
10. Fear has no power over me. 

Find Courage From Within

When you are going through unprecedented change in your life, it can be daunting. It’s difficult to find reasons to smile and it’s difficult to motivate yourself to get up and go. When everything is up in the air, it’s hard to find calm. It’s hard to find a positive mental state. Hard, but not impossible. 

Instead of being overwhelmed with worry about what’s going on, a healing mantra can help you find confidence and courage from within. Change and chaos influence how you think, how you feel, and how you act. These mantras can help keep you on track. The reason they are so effective is that they help you shift the beliefs and stories you tell. They change your expectation of how things will unfold. 

10 Mantras

1. I embrace every challenge and take it as my chance to grow. 
2. I will follow my inner-compass to make the best decisions. 
3. Everything will get better. 
4. The universe supports me when I follow my heart. 
5. Positive energy shields me. 
6. I enthusiastically embrace my soul’s purpose. 
7. Life is never wasted when I courageously follow my spirit. 
8. The best choice is to walk my soul’s path humbly. 
9. A dark night is always followed by a brighter day. 
10. Though I may feel lost I know my soul is looking out for me. 

Trust Yourself That Whatever Happens, You’ll Handle It

If you have ever had a negative thought about yourself, then you know just how easily that negative thought turns into hurt feelings. Your hurt feelings. Humans are guilty of this for as long as we have existed. We pick up negative thoughts from external sources, we internalize them, and we churn them out when we are at our lowest points. It’s endlessly frustrating. 

Typically, the hurtful self-talk we engage in is entirely false. We make these hurtful comments repetitively even though they have no basis in fact. It doesn’t matter how untrue it is, you have told yourself this story for so long you believe in it wholeheartedly. 

You have to work through this mistrust and understand that whatever happens, you can and will handle it. With mantras, you can start building trust. Mantras can help you repeat positive statements and the more you tell yourself those stories, the more you believe that you will handle anything life throws your way. 

10 Mantras

1. I am perfect despite my imperfections.
2. I trust myself, I let go of apprehension, and I overcome fear. 
3. I am more than enough. 
4. I choose trust and love over fear. 
5. My superpower is self-trust. 
6. As long as I have myself, I can get through anything. 
7. Bring it on life, I can handle it.
8. I will never let myself down.
9. I trust myself to do what is best for me
10. I trust myself. 

Have Faith In Yourself To Survive

That voice you have in your head has a massive impact on who you are, how you think, and how you live. You might not realize it, but you can change your self-talk from negative to positive. You can change the script and have faith in yourself to survive. You have already come this far in life, you have already overcome so much, why would any current or future situations be any different? 

Positive self-talk is uplifting, it builds confidence, and enables you to chase what you want. It’s easy to forget to correct negative self-talk and replace it with more positive thoughts. However, with mantras and meditation, you can set time aside daily to focus on making your self-talk as positive as possible.

To get you started, you will find some mantras below. Feel free to experiment with them or even create your own!

10 Mantras

1. I know exactly who I am and I know that I am enough. 
2. I will constantly reach for positive feelings. 
3. My life is unfolding exactly as I want.
4. Every step is a step closer to where I want to be. 
5. I choose to respond not react. 

6. I believe in me, I have faith in myself.

7. I won’t just survive, I will thrive.

8. Every step forward is a step closer to freedom.

9. I am strong enough to survive anything.

10. I know I can get through this and come out the other side better for it.

Release The Frustration Of Powerlessness

Everything can change in a single day. You can move from a place of total control to a feeling of complete powerlessness. You can’t control everything. It’s an impossibility and when you try to control everything it’s only inevitable that you will feel totally powerless in the face of it. This isn’t about faking positivity. This isn’t about anything other than letting go of the frustration you feel as a result of your powerlessness. 

How are we going to achieve that? Through some powerful mantras. These mantras are designed to help you regain control over your experiences. It’s about shifting your focus to what you can control instead of getting lost trying to control what you cannot. 

10 Mantras

1. I feel stuck, but that isn’t a fact. 
2. I am reclaiming my power to change. 
3. I will do what supports my highest self. 
4. I will always find the solution. 
5. I am bigger than my thoughts, more than my emotions. 
6. I am not powerless, I am powerful.
7. I can feel power coursing through my veins.
8. I am not frustrated, I’m on a detour.
9. A detour is an opportunity for growth.
10. I am growing every moment of every day.

Embrace Optimism

You are probably well acquainted with the benefits of positivity and positive thinking by now. They are well-established. Optimism helps you stay healthier, makes you more productive, and obviously, it makes you happier overall. The problem is that many of us struggle with optimism, at least, we struggle to embrace optimism consistently. 

We understand how beneficial it is, but we struggle with the execution. That’s why I want to introduce you to some mantras that revolve around embracing optimism. 

The repetition helps build the consistency you need and it also helps you find a deeper state of relaxation which will ensure the message sinks in! 

10 Mantras

1. I can find the joy in any moment. 
2. I have enough and I am enough. 
3. I know my limitations and I defy them. 
4. Every day brings new possibilities. 
5. Tough times are temporary, I was built to last. 
6. I will always search for the silver lining.
7. I will always find the silver lining.
8. I can find joy in any situation.
9. I only see opportunities.
10. Pessimism lights my path and fuels my way.

Calm Frustration

Everyone gets frustrated sometimes, we all experience upset and worry. That’s just a normal aspect of life. What happens, though, when that frustration or anxiety takes over? What happens when you can’t calm down? Being able to calm frustration in the moment is much easier said than done. 

This is why having some strategies on hand to deal with frustration is a wise step to take. Think of holding onto these negative emotions the same way you would holding onto a roasting hot curling iron. The only person who will get burned is you. It’s a trap we constantly fall into even though we know exactly what’s going on. 

In this case, you can use mantras during meditation to calm your frustration. The repetition of mantras helps sink you deep into relaxation thus relieving stress and allaying frustration. 

10 Mantras

1. I inhale calm and exhale frustration and toxicity. 
2. Nothing can disturb the peace of my mind and body. 
3. This is going to pass. 
4. This is happening for me, not to me. 
5. I inhale tranquility and exhale irritation.
6. I no longer feel frustration.
7. I am calm and I am at peace.
8. I let go of defeat and embrace stillness.
9. I am still, I am tranquil, I am at rest.
10. Frustration has no hold over me.