119 - Friday Fix: Why You Should Create Your Personal Mantra

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2021

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Could repeating a phrase to yourself over and over again actually improve your mental health? As simple as it sounds, there’s a good chance that developing a personal mantra can make a positive difference in your life. A simple mantra could help you stay on track with your goals, drown out negative thoughts, help you resist temptations, or even help you perform better. Most people confuse a mantra with a positive affirmation. They’re not exactly the same thing. So in this Friday Fix, I explain the difference. I share some examples of how people use them—from clients in my therapy office to professional athletes. And I also share how you can develop your own personal mantra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:48.1	Okay. Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that will help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can drain you over the mental strength you need to be your best.
0:52.9	Today I'm talking about why you should
0:54.3	develop a personal mantra. When you think of a mantra, you might be envisioning someone who
0:59.3	just repeats while they're meditating. That's what we call mantra meditation. There's tons of
1:05.2	science behind it and studies show it's quite effective in helping people feel better. It reduces
1:10.3	depression and anxiety and improves overall happiness. But that's not what in helping people feel better. It reduces depression and anxiety and
1:12.1	improves overall happiness. But that's not what I'm talking about today. Today I'm talking about
1:17.5	developing a little phrase that you repeat to yourself as needed. It's not necessarily the same
1:23.3	thing as an affirmation, though. A positive affirmation about how you love yourself or how you're a good
1:29.0	person can be helpful. But there's also some evidence that shows repeating empty phrases to yourself
1:35.2	that you don't really believe doesn't necessarily shift your mindset. A mantra is different, though.
1:41.5	It's not necessarily a positive phrase about yourself,
1:45.0	although it could be. But it could also be a phrase that helps you stay on track when you want to
1:49.5	change your behavior. Or it might help you drown out negative thoughts when your brain's trying
1:54.8	to sabotage you. I talk a bit about this in my kids book, 13 things strong kids do. In there, I call it
2:02.7	creating your own catchphrase. It's a great skill, no matter what age you are,
2:07.4	and it can be used by a lot of different kinds of people. It's a strategy that's been adopted
2:12.2	by some elite athletes, and there's science showing it can help them perform better. A 2015 study published in a
2:20.5	journal called Brain and Behavior found that people who repeated a mantra displayed decreased
2:26.1	brain activity. You might be thinking, wait, why on earth would I want less brain activity?
	...

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