Anxiety and the frightening ideas it evokes are common, especially during stressful and trying times like these. However, anxiety is unpleasant, therefore having a few strategies to soothe an anxious nervous system is beneficial. Much like a father reassuring a youngster, speaking supportive words to ourselves can give relief.

Use the following phrases to practice calming self-talk. Check to see whether the phrases relax you, quiet your heart, allow you to breathe a bit deeper, or relieve muscle tightness. Even small changes are significant and can give you a sensation of power over your neurological system, which you do!

Here are the mantras I recommend:

1. “This Is Temporary.”

True, the quarantine and virus will not persist indefinitely. Stress can be sustained for lengthy periods of time in humans. We are tenacious. “Remember, this is only a momentary stress!” Say it over and over.

2. “Everything Is Going To Be OK.” 

Not only today, but always, the future is unknown. But it makes no sense to send our neurological systems into panic mode. We can tell ourselves that everything will be OK, and it will most likely be.

If you’re a pessimist or a realist, you can change your mantra to “Everything will probably be OK.” If it doesn’t convince you, try “If everything isn’t OK, I can manage it.” That is correct! Experiment with multiple variations to find which ones help you relax.

3. “One Day At A Time. One Hour At A Time. One Minute At A Time.”

We can become overwhelmed when our emotions are running high. This is the time to take it easy. Remind yourself that getting through the next minute, hour, or day is the primary goal. Change your emphasis to finding a pleasurable and calming activity that you can perform right now to help you get through a difficult situation.

For example, after several days of peace, I just awoke to feel quite worried. My heart was racing, which told me I was worried. My goal was to “slow down and take it one minute at a time,” I reminded myself. I went over my list of state-changers, which are tangible acts that help us move from anxiety to calm, connection, confidence, and clarity.

Here’s what I did:

• Dedicated 5 minutes to grounding and breathing.
• Vacuumed the house.
• Made a cup of tea.
• Exercised.
• Took a very hot bath.
• Wrote.

It took a few hours, but eventually, I started to feel a bit better. If none of those methods had worked, I would’ve told myself, “Hang in there! Tomorrow is a new day, and you will probably feel better in the morning.”

It took a few hours, but I gradually felt a little better. “Hang in there!” I would have told myself if none of those tactics had succeeded. Tomorrow is a fresh day, and you should be feeling much better in the morning.”

4. “Just Because I Feel Anxious At This Moment Doesn’t Mean In Reality Things Are Worse Than The Moment Before.” 

Anxiety has a weird way of producing doomsday scenarios. It’s crucial to take a breath and notice your thoughts when you’re feeling anxious. If you believe the world is ending, that you’ll never be happy again, or that you’ve ruined your life, take note of it and remind yourself that it’s only a mood or a worry. It does not imply that it is correct.

The way we talk to ourselves matters and affects how we feel and think. I hope you will try some of these mantras and see if they offer any relief. If not, you can at least feel good about the effort you made to help yourself. Working with anxiety and the emotions that underlie anxiety is a lifelong practice. The idea is to get into an experimental state of mind and have a wide variety of tools, like mantras, state-changers, and the Change Triangle, at your disposal. It’s about practice, not perfection.