Here at Arner Adventures, mental wellness plays an important role, in not only this space, but in our daily lives. It is something we work on every moment, and as we move into 2021, we would like to provide a platform to discuss methods that have helped us and are continuing to provide guidance towards positive wellness. We welcome your discussion and contribution as we maneuver through this together.

Something that I (Shannon) implemented into my life last year, was a daily mantra. I’m not sure I even understood the importance of a daily mantra until I met Hunter McGrady while in LA last February, and learned about the impact repeating words have on your psyche. It is not only self-talk, but an intention, a daily prayer, a set of words to put out into the universe. Hunter places great value in self-love and speaking to yourself in a positive way, and part of her daily mantra is, “I am worthy,” and that intention daily became fruitful for her as she has now has a fashion line called, “All Worthy.”

Since I tend to have always lived my life in fear, preparing for the worst that will happen (not a great way to live, by the way) my mantra this year is to create calm and peace in my mindset to start my day- my time of Zen,

“I am healthy, I am whole, I am with God.”

This mantra allows me to feel as though my life is complete and in God’s hands, and whatever happens, will happen, and I will handle things as they come. Now, of course, things don’t always go swimmingly, but it is a practice, my mantra. You see, my mornings are always calm. I start my mornings with a walk with Betty White, in the early morning when it is still dark, serene, before most people wake. My mind is not yet full of all the tasks of the day. I am at peace.  

I bring myself back to this mantra during the day when I find that my mind begins to go to an anxious place, and I repeat it 3-5 times, even if I do not always believe it, I always seem to be somewhat calmer by the time I finish. I have also discussed in another blog post about a quick, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 meditation that I use in the mornings to begin my day, and I also use to bring me back to center, if I become overly anxious at any time.  

Back to mantras… mantras are often used in meditation practices to silence the noise in our minds, hence why they are useful for those of us who suffer from anxiety. When you create a mantra that is meaningful for you, it can be especially useful as a pep-talk, a comforting blanket, a warm hug, or whatever you need it to be. That is what is so beautiful about a mantra; it’s yours, so do what you want. Just make it positive. This is your self-talk, so be kind.

There are plenty of worksheets, and online guides that dig deep into creating your own mantra, and if you want to investigate further, you most certainly can, but we like to keep it simple, so here are some basic steps to create your own mantra:

• Jot down 5-10 positive words about yourself. These can be words that describe who you are now, or who you wish to become.
• Confirmation– rather than stating, “I want,” use words such as, “I am,” or “I feel,” for the beginning of your mantra statement. You will use these confirmations to pair along with 2-3 positive words of your choosing from those you jotted down from your list.
• Spiritual closing– if you are religious, you may want to end your mantra with a prayer closing or handing the mantra off to the universe. For example, I end my mantra with, “I am with God.” You can do this however you want, but ending with a spiritual sense, helps you to feel as though you are not alone, whether you are with a higher power, the universe, or other humans as a community.
• Once you have finished, put those together and either format one statement or a few statements, but not too many, or it becomes too cumbersome. The point of this is to make it easy to remember, and for it to flow off the tongue. You want to be able to visit your mantra when you are flustered, or stressed, and if it is a narrative, it may be something that you are unable to recall.
• Write it down, post it on a mirror, your desk, or use it as your screensaver on your phone or laptop. You will begin to find comfort in it, as time goes by, or you should. That is what a good mantra provides.

We hope that this helps you, whether you are someone who suffers from anxiety, or someone who just needs a little positive self-talk to get through your day. Let us know if you have any tips for either. We can all use some help as we maneuver through the challenges of this journey called life. 😊