Why Mantras Could Help Ease Depression — Plus, 7 Sample Mantras to Try

What Are Mantras?

A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase, that is repeated — either silently or out loud — as a form of meditation or self-soothing, says Avigail Lev, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and certified mediator who specializes in evidence-based practices related to depression, anxiety, and trauma, and owner of the Bay Area CBT Center in California.

Although some mantras can be sounds, others are a chosen word or phrase with a concrete meaning, Dr. Lev says. Mantras can be thought, chanted, or sung repeatedly to aid in meditation and help calm the mind, she says.

Repeating a mantra while meditating, either silently or aloud, can help you focus your attention on the present moment to keep your mind from wandering, says Victoria Latifses, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Austin, Texas.

How Can Mantras Help With Depression?

When it comes to mental health care in the United States, the use of mantras is especially prevalent in two types of psychotherapy commonly used for depression, says Lev: compassion-focused therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).

“Specific mantras used in compassion-focused therapy can help with many different symptoms, including increasing positive emotions, life satisfaction, mindfulness, social connection, and reducing rumination,” says Lev.

For some people, focusing on a mantra can be a key component of their mindfulness meditation practice.

How to Use Mantras — Plus, 7 Mantras to Try

First, choose a mantra that resonates with you. You can use the basic om sound — or Lev often suggests for her patients to come up with a phrase that they would have liked to hear from a parent or caregiver to help them feel a sense of comfort and safety. Then, turn that positive affirmation into a mantra that you can repeat to anchor yourself to the present moment and inspire compassion.

Lev notes that the mantra someone chooses must be believable to them in order to be effective — this is important especially for beginners, as a believable phrase is more likely to inspire self-compassion than a phrase they don’t yet buy into. (See examples 1 and 2 from Lev below.)

Or, you can expand these mantras to another popular set of phrases, often used in mindfulness meditation practices globally, suggests Dr. Latifses (see example 3 below).

Latifses says she likes to use “I am” mantra statements with her patients, too. (See examples 4 through 7 below that Latifses shared.)

Here are seven examples of mantras:

1. “At this moment, I am safe.”
2. “May I accept myself as I am.”
3. “May we all be safe, may we all accept ourselves as we are, may we all be healthy.”
4. “I am peaceful.”
5. “I am calm.”
6. “I am grounded.”
7. “I am present.”

Once you’ve chosen your mantra, find a quiet place to sit, says Latifses. Breathe slowly through your nose as you begin to chant your mantra out loud or silently. Repeat it steadily, hearing the natural rhythm of the phrase and allowing it to ground you, she says.

However, Lev notes that practicing mantras for even five minutes a day could be enough for people to see some mental health benefits.

Trying out a mantra meditation on your own (following the directions above) is generally safe for most people, including people with depression or other mental health conditions, as long as you're doing it in addition to other treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider.