Stress Management: Holding a Glass of Water

A professor walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As he raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on his face, he inquired : "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 6 ounces and 10 ounces but he shrugged them off.

He replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. What really matters is how long I've been holding it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything. That's the way it is with our stress. If we carry our burdens alone all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Remember to put the glass down !