A Glass of Water:   A Stress Management Theory

This short story illustrates the concepts of stress management. The longstanding effects of  physical and/or emotional stressors  can create chronic tension patterns in the body. Its ideally best to address them earlier than later..."set the glass of water down."

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.

It depends on how long you try to 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.”

He continued,

“And that’s the way it is with stress management.

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 we were intended.

As with the glass of water,

you have to put it down for a while...and rest...."