Try These Mantras for Anxiety When You're Feeling Overwhelmed

“Use these positive affirmations and traditional Sanskrit mantras for anxiety as a daily practice or when you're in a particularly high-stress moment

Om

Considered the root of all mantras, Om has no direct translation and has many layers of meaning; it symbolizes the first moment of creation, containing everything that would come after. There was nothing, and then there was a vibration, which was Om, explains Aaron Fast, a yoga teacher in Brooklyn, New York. As Om is often said to be the primordial vibration from which all life sprung, a 2009 report explains that its rhythm resounds in every vital system (i.e. your heartbeat, breath, brainwaves). Thus, chanting "Om" can help you connect more deeply to yourself and your surroundings and steady your mind. Try chanting the mantra for anxiety internally, letting it flow with each breath. Or chant it aloud, perceiving your own voice, while cutting off all thinking. Pronounce it with three parts: Lead with an "ah" sound, gently slide into "oh," and end with an "mmm" hum.

Soham (I Am That)

Soham (soe-hum) means "I am that" or "I am the universe." Chanting the mantra helps you shift from your limited sense of self to something broader, reminding you that you're part of something larger, says Lily Cushman, the author of A Little Bit of Mantras: An Introduction to Sacred Sounds. As you develop a more expanded awareness, your daily worries and anxieties might start to diminish. Listen closely, and you can hear the sounds of Soham in the breath, says Cushman. The sound of "so" is connected to inhalation and "ham" is linked to exhalation. When chanting Soham, sync the rhythm of your breath to the mantra, inhaling to the sound of "so" and releasing with "ham." You can also recite the mantra for anxiety silently, while still matching the internal chant with your breath.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (May All Beings Be Happy and Free)

By chanting Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (low-kah sah-moss-tah soo-kee-no buh-vahn-too) — meaning "may all beings be happy and free" — you invoke peace in all things. It is often chanted at the end of a practice as a way to turn the tender feelings from the practice outward. You can also look to this mantra for anxiety when you're feeling overwhelmed by the suffering in the world and don't know what to do about it, says Cushman. Over time, this mantra helps you cultivate a deeper connection to others, fueling action. It can help you live from a place of connection and care, rather than, say, anxiety and fear, she says. Instead of dwelling on your anxious thoughts, you can channel that energy toward your commitment to helping others.

Om Mani Padme Hum (Praise to the Jewel of the Lotus)

Strangely, the lotus flower — the national flower of India — blooms in muddy waters. Chanting Om Mani Padme Hum (ohm mah-nee paid-may hum), which means "praise to the jewel of the lotus," serves as a reminder of the good that can bloom out of your anxiety or difficult circumstances (the mud). Thus, chanting this mantra can be especially helpful when dealing with challenging emotions, says Spring Washam, author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment. You can call out for compassion (jewel) and it will arrive to help you meet difficult moments, she says. The mantra for anxiety is most powerful chanted during seated, concentrated meditation, but can also be chanted during a walking meditation, says Washam. And indeed, if you get anxious when you leave the house, you may want to give this mantra for anxiety a chant as you embark on your walks around town.”

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✨Takeaway: You can direct your thoughts toward a single, focused point by using mantras. Which are repeated phrases intended to calm your mind. Using mantras for anxiety might help you stay in the present if your thoughts are preoccupied with the past or the future, which is a common trait of anxiety and stress-fueled worrying.

✨Reflection: Have you ever tried Mantras? If so, what is your favorite? If not, which would you like to try?

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