Best Mantras To Keep You Hanging On When Things Are Shit

[PacificDogwood]

I am supporting a RL friend through some shitty times - no real end in sight

She said the exact same thing I recently saw posted by a battle-experienced, wise MNer :
"Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep breathing in and out."

Pace yourself.
Be kind to yourself and look after yourself.
This too shall pass I may have used that one rather a lot in my own head
Que sera, sera.
Let it go.
You cannot change somebody else's behaviour; you can only change your response to it.

I am sure there are many more.

They are all quite trite truisms, but not any less true for all that.

Please add your own - anything at all that kept you hanging on when times were tough and no light at the end of the tunnel was forthcoming.

And I do hope you did come out the other side and don't need your own mantras anymore.

I always like: "It'll be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end yet."

Another version of "this too shall pass" I guess but I like how it sounds and feels

I hope your friend is OK OP. You sound like a lovely friend

And of course, the Winston Churchil one "When you're going through hell, keep going!"

I've had my arse kicked on here for 'This too shall pass'.

PD that is actually the chain of thought I ran through in my head over the everyone's fed one.

"It is what it is"
"fuckit"
both frequently said by the ex i am desperately trying to get over so not helpful right now
"what is for you won't go by you"
"if you want something let it go, if it is yours it will come back, it if doesn't it never was yours in the first place"
"just keep swimming, keep swimming, keep swimming"
"don't sweat the little stuff"

taffeta "challenging children make interesting adults"
Oh lord I hope so.

into every life a little rain must fall
not at all helpful if life is a constant deluge though

and from another MN poster
nothing can drag you down if you are not holding on
although this is not actually true for gravity

if at first you don't succeed, don't take up hang-gliding

A strong wind breaks trees, but it only bends grass.
(Chinese - I think Xenia would call that one "Lean in" )

When one door closes, another one opens. Look for the open doors.

Failure's a learning process - those who never fail, never learn.

"I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself layin' flat on my face
I just pick myself up and get back in the race."
(Thanks, Frank!)

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog

"This too shall pass" is my life motto Exit.

It reminds me to cherish to the good moments and helps withstand the bad.

No-one should ever be kicked for it.

"Be cool, be cool, be cool"

also "fuck it fuck it fuck it"

For getting into cold water at the beach "This is what I'm here for" - splash!

garlic that reminds me once when i was in the gym and totally failed a lift and got stuck and was totally someone said,
"if you never fail you are never really trying".

I always remember the matriarchs of my family giving anyone going through a tough time (child or adult) a sort of Gallic shrug and saying 'you just have to get on with it' . It sounds a bit harsh, but somehow when going through any sort of shit, it's what I think of and always seems to make things more manageable.

I also love the saying (it might even be coined by a car manufacturer, not sure!) 'one life, live it'.

The one I said regularly when my dd was going through a 'challenging phase' (which lasted 4 yrs) was "it's the grit that makes the pearl"

She is much more pearly now

thank you for this one (it's been a week of it) : "challenging children make interesting adults"

www.pinterest.com/fashiontales/inspiring-quotes-keep-your-chin-up/
I like
good things are going to happen good things are going to happen

let it go

and love your fabulous self.

all of these are very difficult though if you just don't feel like it.

on the EA thread (a great source of solace in tough time), the most commonly said things I remember were:
let it out, don't be afraid to cry

baby steps, one step at a time, will get you there in the end

leaving is a process not an event (also applies to life)

put down the big stick [and stop beating yourself with it]

and be kind to yourself

In life there are only good experiences and experiences we learn from.

Wise people welcome problems.

About it being okay to cry my mum used to say "sometimes we all need to water the garden"

Love the motivational video 500decimals think they should show that to children at school regularly!!

I use Julian of Norwich:
"All will be well and all will be well and all manner of things shall be well"

I also like,"Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"

My grandad used to say worry is like a rocking chair, it doesn't get you anywhere but it gives you something to do.
I often remind myself when looking back with regrets,you did the best that you could with the information that you had at the time.

Sometime when thing are going badly DH says to me 'Well just remember, however bad things get we've got each other and if we can overcome a handicap like that, we'll handle anything'

The other one I like is 'An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards, so when life is dragging you back with difficulties it means that it is going to launch you into something great'

legion

'She thought she could so she did'