Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt stressed out.
I hope to see every single person’s hand raised because, well simply, nobody can avoid stress, it’s impossible. One of my favorite analogies when discussing stress is the glass of water comparison. Now, I did not come up with this lesson myself. I actually saw it posted on a wall in my practice’s lounge area, but still, it stuck with me until this day. Part of the beauty of this analogy is it’s easily recognizable truth and it’s simplicity. The lesson goes something like this:
A glass of water can be a lot like stress. If you pick it up and hold it for a minute, the glass will still feel light. However, if you hold that glass for an hour or even longer, it starts to feel extremely heavy. The weight of the glass has always remained the same, but if you hold it for too long, the weight becomes unbearable. Stress can be the same way. Worries and concerns may feel manageable at first, but the longer you keep them in your thoughts, the more stress they create. We have to learn to put the glass down before that happens, and that ultimately means detaching ourselves from thoughts that carry and create stress.
I know some of you may be thinking, “Well that’s nice and all, but how do you put down the glass if those pesky thoughts won’t go away?”. That’s a valid question and a great one. Fortunately, there are many answers but my favorite ones are associated with mindfulness practice. I will discuss mindfulness practice and it’s benefits in future posts so stay tuned.
So what do you think about the glass of water lesson? Does it make sense? Do you have a better analogy? Feel free to share below in the comments. Also, stick around and follow this blog for discussions related to mindfulness and other valuable coping skills.
Here’s a video of someone presenting this life lesson, enjoy!
polariscounselingservices.com 