MANTRA by Alanis De La Cruz
“I am ok, everything will be ok”, these words are some of which I repeat to myself whenever I am having a hard day.
Graduate school as a first-generation Latina is not an easy task. You juggle various things and amid the work/school tasks, you also must work with the emotions that come up. Some for me have been the emotion of missing people, places, and things as well as joy, feeling scared, and curiosity, amongst others. Yet, mantras have been a place to anchor my mind and my soul.
In the era of social media, where TikTokers and Instagram models can give you great content on what has helped them, some are not as great with what they create. My advice is to create mantras that work FOR YOU; not for the person that has 1.2K followers (you can still use some of their work for inspiration☺ )
Steps for creating your own MANTRA:
What are you going through? Reflect on the situation that has happened or is coming up.
What are you feeling? Is this upcoming or a past situation making you feel some type of way? How do you want to feel?
Talk to yourself in the way a friend would, what do you need to hear from you?
Create your mantra, it could be one word you could repeat every time you feel is needed, or it could be a whole sentence. Follow your voice.
Sometimes it is hard to follow ourselves when there is chaos or disrupter in our minds. But take the time to sit and listen. You will understand better what you need and move accordingly. If needed, talk with a friend, and maybe make a friend date to create mantras. This could also strengthen the friendship and make you understand others better.
Remember:
“I will do it.”
“I can do it.”
“I can trust myself.”
“I LOVE MYSELF”
Additional tools for when you may be in crisis:
U.S. Crisis Text Line: 741-741
Ohio Mobile Response and Stabilization Services: 1-888-418-MRSS (6777)