Put the Glass Down

Facebook is swarmed with crap everyday- even with my small list of friends I have to filter through crap about psycho (often angry) cats, shamed dogs, and bad jokes, oh and the odd "Share this post to avoid death, and win a millon dollars..." But among that crap sometimes there are interesting, or thought provoking things- like this gem. Shared from a "I love Science" thingy. No idea where it originated, or I'd credit them. It's probably been altered a hundred times from it's original form anyway. lol.  In any case this really stayed with me today. So I'm going to post it on my blog so I can read it when I need to.

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

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold 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." She 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."

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, and day after day. Remember to put the glass down!

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Everyone has stress. Everyone has worry, and Everyone has stuff. It's how we cope with it that sets people apart.  I try not to sweat the small stuff (I own all the books), and get through the hard stuff with positive thinking (to change how I think about (or react to) the stress), and of course taking steps to change the stress. I am a worrier by nature so it sometimes is really difficult. But I march on- with an uplifting song in my ear, and a dog (or a few!) at my side. One foot in front of the other.