What's a simple mantra for anxious moments?

I’m standing in the queue at the pharmacy, fake-reading the back of a shampoo bottle because my heart is trying out for a drum ’n’ bass gig. My phone pings, a kid coughs, someone behind me sighs. Classic anxiety pile-on. In my head, a familiar four-word line shows up like an old mate who never texts first:

“I’m safe, I’m present, I’m enough.”

I whisper it once, feel my shoulders drop a centimetre, and somehow the queue keeps moving without swallowing me whole. That’s the mantra. Nothing fancy. No Latin. Just twelve plain English words that fit in one breath.

the one-line lifeline

Mantra: “I’m safe, I’m present, I’m enough.”

Why those words?

• I’m safe – tells the ancient part of the brain to chill. Saber-tooth tigers are extinct, the fluorescent lights are not out to get you.

• I’m present – yanks attention away from disaster-fantasies and back to Now.
• I’m enough – kicks perfectionism in the shins. Good-enough self is welcome here.

  Say it in your head or out loud. Whisper, sing, mumble, type it into your Notes app. One breath in, one breath out. Done.

  how to fire it up on the spot

  1. Catch the spike

The instant you notice sweaty palms or that weird elevator-stomach drop, pause. Awareness is Level 1.

2. Exhale first

Weirdly, exhaling before inhaling flips your body into “rest” mode faster. Push the air out, slow.

3. Inhale, think the line

Silent or whispered: “I’m safe, I’m present, I’m enough.”

4. Anchor with a micro-move

• Touch thumb to pointer finger

• Feel your feet press into your shoes

• Tap the counter twice

Tiny physical cues tell the body you’re steering.

5. Repeat 2-3 cycles

Whole sequence takes maybe 20 seconds. Shorter than an Instagram ad.

stealth mode variations (for loud rooms and zoom calls)

• Safe / Present / Enough = tap-tap-tap fingertips on thigh. No words needed, the rhythm cues the meaning.

• Draw the initials “S P E” with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Invisible, strangely soothing.
• Set your smartwatch to vibrate every 30 minutes. Each buzz = silent mantra round. Built-in training.

  when it feels lame or useless

  Some days the brain rolls its eyes and says, “Nice try.” Three ways to push back:

  1. Loud + proud

Go somewhere semi-private (bathroom stall, parked car), say the mantra out loud at normal speaking volume. Hearing your own voice adds credibility.

2. Pair it with movement

Walking, light stretching, or fake-yawning while you say it pumps fresh chemistry into the system.

3. Audit the words

If “enough” feels cheesy, swap it. Common edits:

• “I’m grounded.”

• “I’m here.”

• “I can handle this.”

The rule: six words max, one breath, no negative phrasing.

stacking tiny wins

Anxiety loves patterns; so does calm. Sneak the mantra into boring parts of the day:

• Waiting for coffee → one round.

• Unlocking your phone → one round before doom-scroll.
• Loading screen in a game → you get the idea.

  Do that for a week and the mantra starts auto-playing when you need it, like muscle memory for the mind.

  *

  Anxiety won’t vanish because of twelve words, but it will loosen its grip long enough for you to reply to the cashier, click “unmute,” or just breathe without feeling hunted. Next time the heartbeat drums or the cheeks flush, drop the shampoo bottle script and try the line:

  “I’m safe, I’m present, I’m enough.”

  It’s small, it’s free, it fits in a single breath - and sometimes that’s all the space you need to take your day back.