You are probably well aware that the world is currently going through a global health pandemic that has turned many people’s lives upside down. Not only have some people lost jobs, but also loved ones. With some parts of the world going into a second lockdown period, the feelings of anxiety are rising among people as they are less certain about what tomorrow may bring. Will things get better or will they continue to deteriorate? One of the best things you or anyone can attempt to do to calm yourself during these trying times is to chant some mantras that are helpful for relieving anxiety.
While mantras for anxiety may not fix a health crisis at hand, they can help calm one’s nerves whenever one feels overwhelmed by the situation at hand, or whatever else one may currently be going through. In this article, we are going to list down some of the positive mantras for anxiety, mantras for anxiety and depression, as well as letting you know how to go about calming an overactive mind, and how to pronounce mantras for anxiety etc.
The world ‘mantra’ actually comes from two Sanskrit words ‘man’ which means mind and ‘tra’, meaning vehicle, instrument, or tool which helps transport the mind from a state of activity to one of stillness and silence. ‘Tra’ can also mean release (4). In short a mantra is a tool of mind/thought that helps harness and focus the mind. It can also help release it from anxiety and stresses that could be plaguing you
The core of these mantras for anxiety has certain words or phrases that you should repeat during meditation, throughout the day or whenever you feel anxious. These chants and phrases can help calm you down and bring your mind back from that dark place that you might have been sinking into.
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Yes, they do and these results have been backed up by scientific research. In 2016, a study stated that chanting mantras can improve attention and reduce depressive symptoms, stress and anxiety. The results of the study revealed that chanting the popular phrase ‘Om’ for just 10 minutes a day boosted the participants moods and improves social cohesion (1) – the process of how we process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations.
Another study done over the course of 2 years involving veterans with PTSD showed that mantra therapy can effectively reduce symptoms of depression. In just 2 months of doing this form of therapy 59% of the veteran participants were found to no longer be categorized as PTSD patients (2).
Here are some mantras in the ancient Indo-European language of India that you can use to help ease your anxiety
Pronounced as soe-hum, it means “I am that” or “I am the universe.”
This is a great option for mantras for anxiety because it reminds you that you are one part of a bigger picture, thus helping you realize that your worries and fears are not as big as they may seem to you. If you choose to use this mantra, be sure to link it to your breaths. Inhale on the sound of ‘so’ and exhale with ‘ham.’
Pronounced as low-kah sah-moss-tah soo-kee-no buh-vahn-too, it means “may all beings be happy and free”.
This is a great anxiety mantra for anyone who is feeling anxious about all the suffering in the world and they wish to send feelings of calm and peace to all those in pain or experiencing hurt.
Pronounced as ohm mah-nee pahd-may hum, it means “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.”
This mantra is related to the beautiful lotus flower, which in the wild, can be found growing and flourishing in murky and murky waters. This is among the most positive mantras for meditation as it reminds us that the most beautiful and glorious things can grow out of bad situations.
Whenever you start to feel nervous or anxious, remind yourself that this is not a permanent situation and that no matter how bad things are (or may seem) you will come out of it better and stronger.
It is pronounced as aum
This is one of the most popular mantras that has no direct translation but represents several meanings. This is a sound that should be among your top mantras for anxiety, as it has been proven to help with social cohesion and mood (1).
Read More: Basic Meditation: Everything You Should Know Before You Start Meditating
While you can search online for already existing mantras for anxiety to help you calm down, sometimes people tend to resonate more with personal mantras for anxiety. Since you came up with them they are more personalized and centered to the issues that are bothering you.
Please remember that you might not start resonating or believing in your mantras for anxiety from the get go. Mantras or rather the use of mantras, needs commitment and practice before you can begin to realise how its effect works to help you oppose negative and depressive feelings. You will want to recognize that your mind is similar to an internet or at least a desktop computer that runs some to many sets of software programs simultaneously. What you are doing with mantras is writing a new piece of software without knowing the technical ‘coding’ language. This is why there is a bit of trial and error in the practice in order to achieve your desired result of relief from ‘bad programming’ of anxiety and depression.
If Sanskrit is not the language for you, or if you are finding it hard to pronounce these Buddhist mantras for anxiety, then chanting some English yoga mantras for anxiety could be better for you. Here are some.
This is a good phrase to chant whenever you start doubting your capabilities or worthiness.
This is a great one to use whenever you feel that things are not happening as fast as you would like them to
This mantra for anxiety helps to remind you that m=no matter how bleak things look, they will all be okay in the end.
It is a fantastic chant to use whenever you are feeling anxious about a work presentation and how people might respond to your idea. This mantra reminds you that people are interested in what you have to say and that your ideas matter.
This is a daily reminder that nothing lasts forever. Those emotions, thoughts, and situations that feel permanent and forever etched upon our brains will eventually pass and be replaced by better things.
This mantra helps you acknowledge what you are going through. It is a reminder for you to be kinder to yourself whenever you are faced with a bad situation.
Very often whenever things start going wrong, we start believing that we may have done something to deserve it or that someone, or some certain force in the universe is targeting us. The above mantra helps us realize that sometimes things just go wrong. This is to say that despite our best efforts, bad things happen and the best laid plans unravel.
Most people, when faced with a big decision, will feel anxious and nervous which in turn makes them look for external validation to help them see that they can indeed do it. However when one doesn’t get this validation, their confidence will be killed even further. Instead of looking for others to vouch for you, use this mantra to validate yourself.
For anyone looking for mantras for anxiety and depression, this is a good phrase to chant. It helps remind you that the despair and hopelessness you feel will not be with you forever. Keep saying it over and over, even when you don’t believe it.
This is a great option for anyone whose anxiety comes with panic attacks. It helps you realize that your imagination and not current real life events created the idea of danger.
There truly is nothing good about having an overactive and anxious mind. Anxiety affects both the mind and body in unpleasant ways. Some physical symptoms of anxiety include
In relation to the brain, anxiety can cause the following symptoms
If you have been experiencing the above-named symptoms, either physical, mental, or both, and are wondering ‘how to calm an overactive mind’, here are some tips on how to regain composure
Read More: Does Meditation Work: Recalibrate Your Mind To Relax And Stop Dwelling On The Negative
When something in your life is not going well, an anxious mind will always jump to the worst possible conclusion about it. However, in truth, these conclusions are, more often than not, are wrong and have no chance of happening.
For example, if you have been calling your mother and she is not picking up, anxiety may cause you to think that she is mad at you or has been involved in a fatal accident. Instead of spiraling and convincing yourself that this is true, take a step back and ask yourself what else could be happening. She could probably be at work and stuck in a meeting, or maybe she forgot her phone, like many older people tend to do.
One of the worst things about feeling anxious is that we tend to think the worst about the people around us, the world, and even ourselves. However, one of the benefits about chanting positive mantras for anxiety is that they give us the feelings of optimism that help decrease negative thoughts or stress, thus calming not only our minds, but also our soul.
Furthermore, a systematic review published in 2018 showed that using transcendental meditation – a mantra-based meditation technique -has beneficial effects on anxiety, stress, depression, burnout, anger and psychological distress (3).
If you wish to reach into the deep crevices of your mind, take yourself out of the mental loop, regain balance, infuse yourself with optimism, and cultivate compassion – BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app is exactly what you need!
Wondering what the future will bring causes a lot of anxiety. Especially during these times when we are going through the effects of public actions in relation to a pandemic narrative, people are anxious about the job market, their health, the health of their loved ones and many more such factors.
While this is a normal reaction, it can bring you down. When trying to calm your overactive mind, try reminding yourself that there are those things that you can change and those that we cannot. You can consider that one cannot change one’s past and neither can one control one’s future. What you can immediately do is change your behaviours in the here and now, with the hope that your efforts will pay off later.
If you are worried about your health during this pandemic, take better care of yourself and follow the already set guidelines. If you are worried about job security, keep doing your best at your current workplace, or if you are out of a job, keep sending out applications. Work on the things that you can control and let all the others go from the present state of your mind.
Journaling on a daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis is a great way to help you calm an overactive and anxious mind, as it helps you sort out these negative feelings. Take some time for yourself – as often as needed – and write down all the things that are bothering you.
Describe -in as much detail as you can – all the things that are making you feel this way, and list all your fears for now and the future. By doing this, not only do you get to let those feelings go, but it can also you give yourself some space to sort those emotions out and, hopefully, realize that you had been worried about the kind of things that
Breathing techniques and exercises are a great way to help calm your mind down helping relieve stress, anxiety and panic. The great thing about them is that they can be done anywhere or at any time whether you are standing, sitting or just lying down.
The 4-7-8 technique is a fantastic example of something you can use today. It involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. You could also quietly chant one or two mantras for anxiety as you do this.
Mantras for anxiety are a great tool for anyone to have. They are not solely for those who suffer from anxiety, depression or panic attacks. We all go through tough situations that make us doubt ourselves and our capabilities. Instead of letting these times and negative thoughts affect your life, consider adopting the practice of chanting mantras for anxiety to quiet yourself and to help pull youself out of this mental trap.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!