The
Weight of the Glass
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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