10 Mantras for a Healthier 2023

If you hate inspirational quotes, keep scrolling. Just kidding -- we hope you stick around and skim this one because CNET's Wellness team has compiled a list of helpful quotes or everyday "mantras" we keep in mind when we need a little course correction in our health journey. This includes physical, mental and emotional health. 

Everyone is their own best and worst critic, and the lines you feed yourself can shape your attitude about diet and exercise, your performance at work and your relationships with others. And with an endless supply of wellness advice on how to live your "best life," it's hard to cut through the noise to determine what will actually resonate with you at this particular time. 

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

Do it scared

I'm a person with anxiety, often taking on stress as I'm faced with new tasks or challenges. "Do it scared" reminds me that it's okay to have these feelings, but it doesn't mean they have to hold me back. Just do it, even if you scream the entire time. 

-- Taylor Leamy, Wellness Writer 

You can't live a full life on an empty stomach

Between food sensitivities, digestion issues, medications that limited my appetite, and the occasional obsession over 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 so it can do things I enjoy, and it's crucial that I make sure I have enough fuel.

-- Sarah Mitroff, Managing Editor of Wellness 

What would my future self want?

You know those moments when you feel like you should do something because it's important and good for you and will make you feel better, but you just truly don't feel like it, not even a little? Yeah. I came across this TikTok by @simplifying.sam, where she talks about how if you wait until you "feel like" doing something it might never happen, and that instead of asking your present self what to do, you should check in with your future self. For example, maybe I don't want to grocery shop, but does my future self want to have food in the fridge? Heck yeah she does. That will make her feel prepared, relaxed and relieved. 

So even though I don't feel like going, I'll do it. This is now my go-to question when I'm having a too-tired-for-self-care moment. It's like the opposite of procrastination — instead of leaving extra problems for my future self to fix, I try to make life a little easier for her. It feels like a really loving way to push myself, and future me is always appreciative.

-- Kim Wong-Shing, Wellness Editor 

Hope is not a strategy 

What started off as a mildly annoying saying my Dad would use to get my sister and I to commit to our goals has turned into a mantra I use when I need motivation to be more proactive when reaching for an accomplishment. It reminds me that I have to work hard for my achievements, and good fortune isn't going to just fall into my lap. 

Hope isn't a strategy to get things done -- I must put my plans into action and be more intentional with my mindset. Rather than saying "I hope I win my game," I should do what I can to the best of my abilities to win, and have the mindset "I'm going to win," to help manifest my goals. 

-- McKenzie Dillon, Sleep Editor 

Every cell in my body is alive and beautiful

It's simple yet empowering. It reminds me that my body is my home, and it is always flowing with energy. My being is made up of billions of cells that all work together. This mantra helps me see my body as a gift and not a burden. Despite everything, my heart is beating, my cells are functioning and my body is keeping me alive -- that in itself is beautiful.

-- Caroline Igo, Wellness Editor 

Have mercy on yourself 

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

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

And it IS okay. You have to be kind to yourself. And importantly, you have to take care of yourself (physically, mentality, emotionally, spiritually) and that means learning to let go and offering forgiveness — to you. Showing compassion for ourselves can be a struggle for the overachiever personalities or those who naturally put themselves last, but it's a critical skill to learn for our wellbeing and ability to cope with life's many challenges.

-- Macy Meyer, Wellness and Home Associate Editor 

Always do your best 

It's a quote from Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements. Now, when we read that phrase, at a surface level, you may think it alludes to hustle culture and the narrative that we must always be high performing. However, when we dig a little deeper, we can fully understand that your best is subject to change from one moment to another. Your best today may look completely different than your best tomorrow -- and that is OK. What's important is that you do your best under the circumstances you're in with the resources you have available at the moment.

Whenever I feel that I could've done things better, I take a step back and ask myself if I could have really done things differently. It grounds me in the present moment and helps me show compassion toward myself during challenging times.

-- Nasha Addarich Marínez, Wellness Editor 

You do you

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 of them. It's a reminder to not get wrapped up in how someone else wants to live their life, whether you agree with it or not. 

Finally, it's also a phrase I say to someone else who feels unsure of themselves and needs validation. I believe that if wearing or doing something makes you happy, it doesn't matter if someone else looks down on it (as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, of course).

-- Sarah Mitroff, Managing Editor of Wellness 

Done is better than perfect 

I like to remind myself of this when I'm obsessing over a work project or creative task, or when I'm debating whether it's too late to get a workout in. When I've spent so much energy planning or imagining the "perfect" version of something in my head, it detracts from the actual energy needed to get the thing done. It comes as a relief, then, to know the only thing separating from something getting done and not being done is, you know, physically doing it. The 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 need to be perfectly healthy as long as most meals contain nutrients your body needs. And your body likes to move, so it will appreciate the 15 minutes of light exercise you knocked out, even if it wasn't the perfect 30 minutes you acted out in your head. 

-- Jessica Rendall, Wellness Writer