10 mantras for a healthier 2023

If you hate inspirational quotes, keep scrolling. Just kidding — we hope you’ll stick around and peruse this one because CNET’s wellness team has compiled a list of helpful quotes or daily “mantras” that we keep in mind when we need help. a small course correction in our health journey. This includes physical, mental and emotional health.

Everyone is their own best and worst critic, and the cues you feed yourself can shape your attitude toward diet and exercise, your job performance, and your relationships with others. And with an endless amount of wellness advice on how to live your “best life,” it’s hard to cut through the noise to figure out what will really resonate with you at this particular moment.

Here’s a roundup of quotes, mantras, or catchy phrases that have resonated with us, and we hope you’ll find one that helps you too.

scare him

I am an anxious person, I am often stressed when I am faced with new tasks or new challenges. “Scare it” reminds me that it’s okay to have these feelings, but that doesn’t mean they have to hold me back. Do it, even if you’re yelling all the time.

— Taylor Leamy, Wellness Editor

You can’t live a full life on an empty stomach.

Between food sensitivities, digestive issues, medications that curbed my appetite, and the occasional obsession with calories, eating has always been a source of struggle for me. This mantra helps me remember that food is nothing more than fuel for my body to do the things I love, and it’s crucial that I make sure I have enough fuel.

— Sarah Mitroff, Wellness Editor

What would my future self want?

You know those times when you feel like you should do something because it’s important and good for you and it will make you feel better, but you really don’t feel like it, not even a little bit? Yeah. I came across this TikTok by @simplifying.sam, where she explains that if you wait until you “feel like” doing something, it might never happen, and instead of asking you what to do , you should check with your future self. For example, maybe I don’t want to shop for groceries, but does my future self want to have food in the fridge? Heck yeah she does. This will make her feel prepared, relaxed and relieved.

So even if I don’t want to go, I will. This is now my go-to question when I’m too tired to take care of myself. It’s like the opposite of procrastination – instead of leaving extra problems for my future self to deal with, I try to make their life a little easier. It feels like a really loving way to push me, and the future me is always grateful.

— Kim Wong-Shing, Wellness Editor

Hope is not a strategy

What started out as a slightly annoying saying my dad would use to get my sister and I committed to our goals turned into a mantra I use when I need motivation to be more proactive when I’m researching an accomplishment. It reminds me that I have to work hard for my accomplishments, and good fortune is not going to fall in my lap.

Hope is not a strategy to get things done – I need to put my plans into action and be more intentional with my mindset. Rather than saying “I hope to win my game”, I should do my best to win and have an “I will win” mindset to help manifest my goals.

— McKenzie Dillon, Sleep Editor

Every cell in my body is alive and beautiful

It’s simple but stimulating. It reminds me that my body is my home and it is always bursting with energy. My being is made up of billions of cells all working together. This mantra helps me see my body as a gift and not a burden. Despite everything, my heart beats, my cells work and my body keeps me alive, it’s beautiful in itself.

— Caroline Igo, Wellness Editor

Have mercy on you

This succinct phrase passed down from my mother has done more for me than I can express, especially during my college years and the last year as a recently graduated full-time employee.

I certainly come from a Type A family. And while being organized and ambitious are certainly traits I’m glad to have inherited, these attributes can quickly become exhausting when I become overly self-critical and anxious. But even in my darkest moments, that phrase rings loud and clear (and in my mother’s voice) in my head to remind me that I can’t be everything to everyone all the time – and that’s okay.

And that’s okay. You have to be nice to yourself. And above all, you need to take care of yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) and that means learning to let go and offering yourself forgiveness. Showing compassion for ourselves can be a struggle for gifted personalities or those who naturally come last, but it is an essential skill to learn for our well-being and our ability to cope with the many challenges of life. life.

— Macy Meyer, associate wellness and home editor

Always do your best

This is a quote from the book by Don Miguel Ruiz The four chords. Now, when we read that sentence, on a superficial level, you might think it’s referring to the culture of hustle and the narrative that we always have to be high performers. However, when we dig a little deeper, we can fully understand that your best is likely to change from moment to moment. Your best today may look completely different than your best tomorrow – and that’s okay. What is important is that you do the best you can in the circumstances you find yourself in with the resources you have at this time.

Whenever I feel like I could have done things better, I step back and wonder if I really could have done things differently. It grounds me in the present moment and helps me to be compassionate with myself in difficult times.

— Nasha Addarich Marínez, Wellness Editor

you do yourself

This mantra has several meanings for me. It’s a reminder to confidently do the things that make you happy, regardless of what others might think. It’s a reminder not to get carried away with how someone else wants to live their life, whether you agree with it or not.

Finally, it’s also a sentence that I say to someone else who feels insecure and needs validation. I believe that if wearing or doing something makes you happy, it doesn’t matter if someone else despises it (as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else, of course).

— Sarah Mitroff, Wellness Editor

Better done than perfect

I like to remind myself of this when I’m obsessed with a work project or creative task, or when I’m wondering if it’s too late to exercise. When I’ve spent so much energy planning or imagining the “perfect” version of something in my head, it diminishes the actual energy needed to get things done. So it’s a relief to know that the only thing that separates something from what gets done and what doesn’t is, you know, doing it physically. Details can be “perfected” later.

In addition to mental or creative tasks, this mindset helps me make healthier choices through moderation. Everything you eat doesn’t have to be perfectly healthy as long as most meals contain the nutrients your body needs. And your body likes to move, so it will appreciate the 15 minutes of light exercise you’ve knocked out, even if it’s not the perfect 30 minutes you’ve been playing in your head.

— Jessica Rendall, Wellness Editor

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.