In Which It’s In Vain

Throughout the process, Lisa maintained her habit of breathing in via her nose.

She spent the entire time clenching her jaw and muttering to herself something that sounded like, "I can smash it." 

The entire time that she was carrying on in this manner, she breathed in through her nose and breathed out through her mouth at the same time.

She repeated to herself over and over, "I can break it," in the vain hope that one day the message would finally register in her mind and she would be able to accomplish what she had set out to do.

She was having a conversation with herself in the third person so that she could try to persuade herself that she was truly capable of achieving the goal that she had established for herself. 

This purpose was to convince herself that she was genuinely capable of achieving the goal, and she succeeded in doing so.