Once upon a time................... a
psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management
principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of
water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass
half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor
asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”
Students shouted out
answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.
She replied, “From my
perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends
on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly
light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm
ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp
up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the
floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the
longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”
As the class shook their
heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much
like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing
happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a
little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and
paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”
The moral: It’s
important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. No matter
what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your
burdens down. Don’t carry them through the night and into the next day
with you. If you still feel the weight of yesterday’s stress, it’s a
strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down.
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