The Weight of a Burden

May I tell you a quick story?  (Unfortunately the origin of this story is lost from my files.)

A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water.  As she paraded around the room she simply held the glass of water high in the air and said nothing. 

Everyone thought she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'  She fooled them all. 

She asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

The answers 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, that's not a problem.  If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.  If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "And that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.  

“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time we practice.”

She added more wisdom:  “So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.  Pick them up tomorrow.  Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment.  Relax; pick them up later after you've rested.”

And she concluded with this:  “Life is short. Enjoy it now, and learn to manage the stressful moments.” 

Here are four stress management strategies to consider and the link to follow for the full article.

1.     Avoid unnecessary stress

-Learn how to say no

-Avoid people who stress you out

-Take control of your environment

-Avoid hot-button topics

-Par down your to-do list

2.   Alter the situation

-Express your feelings instead of bottling them up

-Be willing to compromise

-Be more assertive

-Manage your time better

3.   Adapt to the stressor

-Reframe problems

-Look at the big picture

-Adjust your standard

-Focus on the positive

4.   Accept the things you can’t change

-Don’t try to control the uncontrollable

-Look for the upside

-Share your feelings

-Learn to forgive

Follow this helpful link to read more:  

Stress management

P Michael Biggs

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