Put the Glass Down

Once upon a time while teaching stress management a psychology professor was walking around on a stage 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 half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked a different question, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?” (Put the Glass Down)

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 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 or incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

The moral:  It is always important to remove your daily stress and worries. Anything happens during the day, put all your burdens down and don’t carry them for night. If not doing so it is a sign that it’s the time to put the glass down.