An overwhelming life transition like divorce can throw you off, both physically and emotionally. It can eat away at your sense of safety and stability, shaking your confidence to the core.
Finding ways to self-soothe and de-stress are essential to your well-being when you’re in the middle of divorce’s turbulence. Using mantras can be an effective, soothing, easily-accessible way to reset and refresh your mindset.
What is a mantra?
For centuries, people have used mantras in contemplative practices throughout the world. Modern culture now recognizes their stress-busting value.
Historically, a mantra was a repeated set of words, phrases, or sounds meant to soothe the mind and instill a sense of peace. While they were most commonly used in Eastern meditation practices, other practices and religions use similar forms of repetition or prayer to create a sense of peace and oneness.
Research supports the idea that mantras have an effect on the calming mechanisms of the brain.
How to use a mantra in a stressful situation
Stress can give way to rumination. You go over a situation or event again and again in your mind. Your brain plays a stressful loop and keeps you stuck in fight-or-flight mode and negative thought patterns.
Adopting one or more mantras can help you break free from such negative loops. Reciting them verbally or even mentally several times a day can distract your mind from the negatives, and the repetition plants positive thoughts in their place.
The more adept you get at reciting mantras, the more in control you can feel as you exert power over the stressful negatives in your life.
Boost your confidence during divorce with these mantras
Mantra #1: “I let go of things that no longer serve me.”
There may be many things you’re dealing with that no longer serve you. Anger at your soon-to-be ex. A laser focus on old betrayals or scars. This mantra can help your mind and give you permission to let go of anything that doesn’t enhance your life.
Mantra #2: “I now have the opportunity to create the life I want.”
You may have scaled back your life in the name of your marriage only to feel stifled and lost. Divorce offers you an opportunity to be who you really are, to pursue things you previously shelved, to be with people who respect you, and to live more authentically.
Mantra #3: “Today, I choose peace.”
When you’re in the middle of a divorce, you may feel blindsided by emotion. You may forget that you have power over your emotions rather than the other way around. But this knowledge requires discipline and diligence. Remind yourself that you choose peace. It can help reshape your default emotional setting.
Mantra #4: “I choose to act and not react.”
Divorce can push all your buttons. When you find yourself constantly on the defensive, you can’t focus on the positives and your own best interests. Remind yourself that you don’t have to react to everything. Instead, you can de-escalate. This gives you the power to act from a place of strength and positivity.
Mantra #5: “I am not my divorce.”
Humans love labels, and during a tumultuous time like divorce, it’s easy to identify with divorce-related labels. But labeling yourself limits your wholeness. Divorce is only one stop on your journey. More positive and happy times await.
Mantra #6: “I am strong, capable, and resilient.”
Divorce can leave you feeling powerless, especially if it wasn’t your choice. You may feel at the mercy of your spouse or even the legal system. You may already feel defeated. This mantra reminds you to be your own superhero. It gives you permission to feel whole and strong and to believe in the bright future on your horizon.
When dealing with a major life transition like divorce, it’s helpful to throw everything positive at it that you can. Mantras, podcasts, blogs, websites – help is everywhere if you know where to look.
At Hello Divorce, we are committed to helping people navigate the turbulence of divorce, both legally and emotionally. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or call us to learn about our professional services and divorce plans. It takes a village. We invite you to ours.
