Kiersten has compiled a list of 4 Real Girl Mantras that apply to every girl around the world and how she actively uses them. Enjoy!
Mantra. The word instantly conjures images meditation rooms, self-help books, and that girl from your yoga class that seems to be always talking about how giving up meat, carbs, and all other things good has made her a much better person.
That’s all fine and good for green juice girl, but if you’re anything like me you love you some pepperoni pizza and would rather watch re-runs of The O.C. than read a self-help book.
You might be thinking to yourself right now, mantras don’t seem like my thing, but I’m here to tell you that even though I may have been a doubter at first, I now recite them on a daily basis. While I am no expert, I have found that repeating simple or “Real Girl Mantras” give me a sense of peace and positivity.
You see, in my real life, I suffer from clinical anxiety and depression, which really sucks to say the least. One moment I can feel wonderful and confident in my job, relationships, and body, and the next, I’m stuck in a head-spin that I can’t break myself out of.
While I don’t pretend that a simple sentence is an instant fix for a panic attack, I can attest that starting your day off with a mantra can help get your mind right and can even be a defense for those moments of potentially crippling fear. In fact, I have a few of my favorite mantras that you can use in real life situations that won’t make you feel like a total poser:
- Smaller, Smaller: This one I save for when I’m facing a giant project or a busy week. It’s all about perspective. When you look at a challenge in its entirety, it can seem overwhelming or even impossible. Smaller, Smaller helps to remind you that every big and scary task can be broken into smaller and more manageable tasks. Before you know it, that big scary mountain is now a sequence of smaller, conquerable hills, so get to it girl!
- Now is where your power is: I have to thank my home girl Cate for this one. There are so many times where we get stuck in our heads thinking of what could be or what might have been. We get stuck on the hamster wheel, using up all our energy and getting nothing done. The fact of the matter is that we can do anything about the past and can’t predict the future. However, we can take this moment right now to act, and that recognition is beyond powerful.
- Feelings are not facts: Raise your hand if you recently have made up an entire issue in your head based on the slightest feeling, only to have it snowball out of control and take over your every thought. You best believe my hand is up. Now think about that feeling. Was it based on love or fear? Nine times out of ten the thoughts that worry us are bred from our worst fears and insecurities. It’s that nervous voice in our head that is trying to protect us by imagining the worst, but the worst very rarely happens. Don’t make this fear your reality. Don’t base your actions on feeling of fear.
- I am my best thing: As a lit nerd, I feel obligated to share this line, based off a quote from Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The line is said from one character to another who is mourning the loss of a loved one that she believed was her “best thing.” When I read the other character’s reply of, “You your best thing,” I felt my hair stand on end. In this life the thing we always have, the person who will always care for us best is ourselves. We are our greatest allies, our own best thing. You are precious, powerful and one in a million. Treat yourself accordingly.
What is your favorite Real Girl Mantra?
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