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.

"What's for you won't go by you" mentioned by a couple of other posters was one of my DM's sayings. Although it's probably a bit too fatalistic to actually provide any succour.

Zing that's a lovely thought.

I read this on the side of a box of herbal tea once and have tried to always keep it in mind:

"Regardless of the situation, react with class."

"Chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on"
Sorry for lowering the tone!:)

That's a great one pear. I always believe in maintaining a dignified public face so nothing will come back to haunt you but letting go and swearing and ranting with close friends and family!

When DH left a friend sent me a poem

There's always a hope for tomorrow no matter how dark the day
There's always a corner for turning no.matter how weary the way
So just look ahead to tomorrow and trust that you'll find hiding there ,the sunshine that seemed to be hidden by yesterday's clouds of despair.

That's a great poem!

I have several mantras that have kept me going this past year. The main one being

One foot in front of the other, and don't forget to breathe.

Other's that have helped are -

It'll be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.

Keep on keeping on.

Feck 'em all. The feckin feckers.

Somewhere in the world, someone is on their knees right now, praying for what you have.

When things are shit I tell myself 'everything is working out for me just as it should' gives me a bit of relief

Its better to be pissed off than pissed on.

I love these! I love that you can choose the ones that are most relevant for your particular shitey situation of the moment!

Mine is: "Do it now!" bit like Nike's, but good if you're procrastinating. Also, if you are actively doing something, you don't have time to mope, worry or whatever.

Also, as a Christian, "Well, we can pray about that..." When all else seems to have failed, you can hand it on to a higher power.

girloutofglasgow "what's for ye won't go by ye" was a saying when a boyfriend disappeared. I think it's great.

another one my old boss used to say

"don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining"

The only way past it is through it.

I say that one to myself quite a lot.

Another way of looking at painful feelings and experiences ...

When we are left with painful or uncomfortable feelings after painful or uncomfortable experiences, our first instinct is to fight them, deny them and refuse to face or accept them.

Which may be understandable. We only like good feelings!

But I have realised recently ... that's all they are ... feelings.

Feelings change, feelings pass. Why not make friends with feelings, even the uncomfortable, painful ones? Especially them! They are only trying to help us, after all. Help us know we've been harmed perhaps, and need to heal. Our feelings want us to heal. Trying to sit gently with them, be with them with an attitude of open curiosity and love and friendliness and acceptance.

(Perhaps denial and non-acceptance of feelings is when the problem starts)

sparky I think this is the nub of it really. Feelings are called that because they're physical. They're Nature's way of giving us a sign. Don't do that again. Or get through this quickly.

I think the other thing about feelings is we're very quick to acknowledge the transience of happy times, as in fleeting happiness or joy. We instinctively know it's a wonderful moment to cherish, but a moment is all it is. Maybe that moment is a minute, or maybe a month, but like clouds in the sky, they'll disperse at some point.

Well, it's exactly the same with the bad and the sad. Just like happy clouds, sad ones dissolve too.

And while you're waiting for them to, get your hair done and eat flapjacks.

Psalm 46:10 stops me in my tracks when going through stressful moments: "Be still and know that I am God". I recite it as a mantra and it not only calms me but brings me completely into the present moment.

Sparky, I agree we could all do with 'allowing' ourselves to feel whatever we're feeling. There are wider societal reasons for why feeling unhappy or grieving or angry or whatever are just less acceptable.

"Be still and know that I am God" and Desiderata and some Buddhist Mindfullness-type meditation all aim for the same thing: live in the moment, appreciate that moment for what it is and accept that not everything is under your control.

Wishing everybody a good weekend

not a mantra, but here is a link to a free online little book called "The Little Book of Contentment" (by Leo Babauta) which has some uplifting thoughts, ideas and actions in it I've found useful:

zenhabits.net/little-book/

Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday and all is well....always helps even if all isn't well and useful for chronic worriers!

Love the "react with class" one.
I like to live by The Desiderata and Bear Hunt. "what a beautiful day, we're not scared"

When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.

What's for you won't go by you.

And a particularly lovely one

When we were going through some very tough times a few years ago, I kept telling myself 'It is the shittest it can be so it definitely has to get better'.

The one I tell my team at work when something goes slightly wrong to look at things in perspective 'no one died, and the problem can be solved'.

Posted too soon.
A lovely mixed one from a friend. "Let's burn that bridge when we come to it".

"I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened" -Mark Twain