Friendly Mantras

If I’m having a bad day, I call up one of my girlfriends so that they can remind me that I’m going to be ok. Good friends are magical because they know exactly how to snap you out of self-doubt and self-loathing. Truth be told, our friends are usually a heck of a lot nicer to us than we are to ourselves. If we asked our friends to describe us, we would surely blush. They’d tell us that we’re strong, beautiful and kind. If we were to compare how we see ourselves to how our friends see us, it would be as if we were looking at two completely different people.

The negative thoughts we direct to ourselves string together to create deeply-rooted beliefs about who we are. After all, a belief is just a thought we have over and over again. In the brilliant (but weird) documentary What the Bleep Do We Know, neurologist Dr. Joe Dispenza explains that every time we think a thought, our brain releases thought-specific chemicals. These chemicals circulate through our bodies and are absorbed by our cells. Every time we think something negative about ourselves, our cells are literally swimming in negativity. When our cells divide, their sister cells are born with more receptors to accept these popular chemicals. Addicted to our own mantras, we become what we think.

What would our friends have to say about all of this?! They would slap us across the face and tell us to quit making our bodies a breeding ground for self-loathing! Our inner circle is the most accurate reflection of our own sense of self. There have been times in my life, for example, when I focused on friendships that supported the negative relationship I had with myself. Good friends, I’ve learned, will take you gently by the hand and lead you away from the belief you’re not enough. True friends will empower you to embrace your potential, not reinforce your limits.

Close your eyes and consider how your true friends would describe you. Create a positive mantra using their words. Every time you catch yourself undermining your worth, visualize your friends circled around you and chant your mantra. I am wise. I am strong. I am beautiful. I am enough. Practice and repeat.