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"We all know what it&amp;#039;s like to be on the brink of losing it. Overstuffed schedules, the competing demands of family and work, the sting of setbacks and disappointments, and the trauma of a troubled economy can gang up to push us near the edge of the ledge. But a surprisingly easy and effective technique can help us avert meltdown. Repeating a positive, personal phrase \u2014 a meaningful motto minted from life experience, plucked from a favorite book or movie, or borrowed from a role model \u2014 can refocus our priorities, remind us that we&amp;#039;re competent and capable, calm us down, and propel us forward. Exhausted runners call these affirmations &amp;quot;marathon mantras&amp;quot; and repeat them during grueling stretches when they&amp;#039;re on the verge of quitting. This strategy can work for anyone; Herbert Benson, M.D., director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Boston, recommends it for lowering stress in everyday life. Repeating a meaningful phrase, he says, breaks the train of anxious thought. Research suggests that the technique can rewire some anxiety circuits in the brain. We asked women across the country what words of wisdom they summon to restore perspective when they&amp;#039;re about to spiral out of control. Borrow theirs or, better yet, coin your own. When life looks like it&amp;#039;s falling apart, it may just be falling in place. \u2014Beverly Solomon, 55, Lampasas, TX; creative director &amp;quot;When my husband and I left Houston to restore an 1856 ranch in the Texas Hill Country, it seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong did. I was starting to have doubts about our decision. But then I realized that all of these &amp;#039;bad things&amp;#039; had to happen \u2014 and this affirmation came to me. Now I say it to myself whenever something upsetting happens.&amp;quot; Will this matter five years from now? No? Then get over it. \u2014Hali Chambers, 45, Luray, VA; massage therapist &amp;quot;I use it whenever little disasters stress me out \u2014 I miss an important phone call, say \u2014 or if someone cuts me off while driving. It helps me keep perspective on what&amp;#039;s important: family, friends, staying centered.&amp;quot; When I focus on what&amp;#039;s good, I have a good day. \u2014Meg Joseph, 42, New Rochelle, NY; community college marketing professor &amp;quot;I say that to myself when I&amp;#039;m confronted with a setback. Recently, I just couldn&amp;#039;t complete a grant application by the deadline. Instead of beating myself up about it, I focused on two good things \u2014 first, that I could finish up the proposal when I had more time and apply next year, and second, that I now had more time to focus on my family. I could feel the tension releasing almost instantly.&amp;quot; This isn&amp;#039;t as important as you&amp;#039;re making it; don&amp;#039;t allow it to rent space in your head. \u2014Brenda Nixon, 54, Columbus, OH; author and speaker on parenting &amp;quot;I used this phrase many times in the throes of child-rearing challenges. During a hard time at work, telling myself the job wasn&amp;#039;t as important as I was making it helped me relax. Now I say, &amp;#039;Wisdom is knowing what to overlook and what to oversee.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; Don&amp;#039;t worry about the mule going blind; just keep the wagon loaded. \u2014Mary Ann Lowry, 55, Thousand Oaks, CA; life coach  &amp;quot;I love this little mantra that my father learned from his father, who grew up on a farm in Texas. The basic message is, &amp;#039;Put one foot in front of the other, and keep moving forward.&amp;#039; The saying always makes me smile even in the worst of times. I used it just yesterday: On the way to meet friends for breakfast, I got a ticket. I started getting all worked up about the fine, traffic school, being late. Then I reminded myself not to worry about the mule going blind: I could let this incident ruin a beautiful day, or shift my thoughts from the future to the present, from anxious to mellow. And I did.&amp;quot;  The kids will never remember; you&amp;#039;ll never forget.  \u2014Cheryl Lage, 44, Richmond, VA; freelance writer and editor &amp;quot;As a mom of 7-year-old twins, when I&amp;#039;m anxious about my children&amp;#039;s health or my own maternal faux pas, I&amp;#039;m soothed by this comment my husband made early in our parenthood; I repeat it to myself almost daily. When the twins, a girl and a boy, were 2, both had to go to the emergency room a day apart. I was a wreck, but I remembered what my husband had said, and he was right: The kids are happy and healthy and don&amp;#039;t even recall what happened.&amp;quot; Support is a phone call away. \u2014Ren\u00E9e Peterson Trudeau, 43, Austin; life-balance coach  &amp;quot;I keep a support-system note card pinned to my office bulletin board and on my refrigerator. On it is contact information for friends, babysitters, housecleaners, doctors, handymen, and counselors. All I have to do is call! Recently, I was heading out of town and having a hard time covering child care, airport transportation, volunteer commitments, and making sure my family had some ideas for meals while I was gone. I called my wonderful neighbor and asked if she could help me brainstorm. Not only did she come up with creative solutions, but she also offered to have my family over for dinner one night! Support is always there \u2014 I just have to get comfortable asking for it.&amp;quot; I sing to myself \u2014 little snippets of songs that seem apropos, like &amp;quot;...breathe in, breathe out,&amp;quot; from &amp;quot;Machinehead&amp;quot; by Bush.  \u2014C.J. Lyons, Pittsburgh; pediatric ER physician &amp;quot;Once I was treating a little girl with a head trauma and we were short-staffed, our CT scanner was out of order, and I needed to be in six places at once. The music in my head helped me to stay in control, reaffirming that my team and I knew what to do, and that despite any obstacles thrown in our path, we were going to help this girl. And we did!&amp;quot; How badly do I want what&amp;#039;s on the other side of this brick wall I just hit?  \u2014Betsy Hiebert, 46, Winnipeg, Manitoba; small-business owner &amp;quot;When I&amp;#039;ve tried and tried to reach what appears to be an unattainable goal, I ask myself what&amp;#039;s preventing me from achieving it. What&amp;#039;s my brick wall, and how can I get over, under, or around it? What do I need to do that fits within my moral and ethical framework that can help me achieve the desired outcome?&amp;quot; What is the absolute most important thing I should spend my precious time doing today?  \u2014Peggy Duncan, 57, Atlanta; personal-productivity expert I ask myself that question; then I write my answer, hold it in front of me, and say, &amp;#039;Start on that, finish it, then move on.&amp;#039; Yesterday, I wanted to work on my new blog. That&amp;#039;s fun for me. But I knew I needed to get caught up on a task I was dreading \u2014 three months&amp;#039; worth of bank reconciliation. I knew it would only take a few minutes to get it done, but still I procrastinated. Then I asked my question, answered it, shut down the blog, and finished the despised bookkeeping. That gave me the time for what I really love.&amp;quot; If everything is important, then nothing is. \u2014Kelly Stettner, 39, Springfield, VT; nonprofit director &amp;quot;The saying keeps me on an even keel and helps me prioritize the plates that are spinning above my head, so I know which ones I can drop and pick up again later.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/a16247/short-inspirational-quotes/>