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.

Don't rely on anyone to make you happy.
You are in charge of your own emotions.
Positivity breeds positivity as negativity breeds negativity.
Every now and then from the bottom of your heart think about all the things in life you are greatful for.
Remember than the things you own now were once something that you wished for.
I've survived worse.

In six months time, all of this will be an anecdote.

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.

this one is so apt for my life just now

"If I cut you off chances are you handed me the scissors"

"If you can't change your circumstances change your attitude"

granted it's not for proper bad stuff like grieving, but it is motivational at other times

"the price we pay for love"

Yy to that. Just telling it how it is is strangely comforting isn't it?

I like this thread. Ive come to the conclusion that life is just one burning barrel of shit after another, so i need these.

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."
Buddha

Caitlin Moran wrote this: " life divides into AMAZING ENJOYABLE TIMES and APPALLING EXPERIENCES THAT WILL MAKE FUTURE AMAZING ANECDOTES."

Which is quite catchy but I like the next bit too....

"However awful, you can get through any experience if you imagine yourself, in the future, telling your friends about it as they scream, with increasing disbelief, ‘NO! NO!’ Even when Jesus was on the cross, I bet He was thinking, ‘When I rise in three days, the disciples aren’t going to believe this when I tell them about it.’

Life isn't fair .Get used to it and don't moan (my mum)

some days are rocks, some days are diamonds

A winner is just a loser who tried one more time.

Zing My dad used to have a poster years ago that read 'Some days you're the dog, some days you're the lamp-post'

Just telling it how it is is strangely comforting isn't it?

Yes, it's interesting how these sayings and aphorism do help - they don't change a thing, but help put them in to perspective.

I wonder whether it is simply helpful to realise that is somebody as thought of an apt saying then maybe others have been in the depth of despair or up against it before and got through?

We are all unique AND all the same

There is no problem without a solution.

yes, you may be terminally ill, (worst case scenario) but death is it's own solution, and if you are in horrible pain you can end it with suicide.

Not cheerful I know, but this mantra works for me, as in
Toddler locks himself in car.....spare key at home, RAC etc.
Lose purse and credit cards, ...call bank, stop cards, hopefully get back any money stolen from bank, otherwise work hard and repay money yourself.

If every problem didn't have a solution, we would still be in the Stone Age

"those that mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind." I remind myself of this often...

So Hum
(I am that.....I am)

Worrying is like riding a rocking horse, it gets you nowhere!

My favourite comes from a bigger quote by the late, great Bill Hicks. The quote I hang onto is:

"Don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride"

Reminds me that life is actually a bit of a gift and can be enjoyed and that we won't be on it forever and anyone who takes shit too seriously can be ignored

Step by step one walks far.

Chinese proverb, I think, not 100%, always reassures me... And always loved the baz luhrman 'wear sunscreen' song.

My DP is going through a horrendous divorce (I am not OW) and finds the various steps incredibly stressful, we now have the mantra of 'every step is one step closer to the end". This really helps to put the various court cases, document writing, meetings with children's services etc in to perspective and reminds us that these horrible times won't last forever (although if your friend is dealing with death this definitely wouldn't work!).

I'm not big on motivational saying usually, but the one that gets me through when I feel like I just have too much to do and too little time to do it, or am otherwise overwhelmed by some big task or other, is "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." It's corny but it has helped on several occasions.

Don't let the past tax the present.

It is easier to get back a thousand pounds that were stolen than a single word which you gave away.

When in doubt, tell the truth.

and one that makes me laugh

"you know it's going to be a crap day when the sun comes up and the bird singing under your window is a vulture"

yep. onwards and upwards

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof Mathew 6:34. Abbreviated to 'sufficient unto the day'. A bit like the one about not borrowing trouble from tomorrow. I find this really useful for long running complicated situations without an obvious end point.