A professor of psychology 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 is half empty or the glass is half full?” question. Instead, to the surprise of everyone, the professor asked with a smile on her face, “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.”
Your stresses, anxieties and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a short time and everything is fine. Think about them for a longer period of time and you will begin to feel uncomfortable. If you go for holding a little longer period than this 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 or moving forward , else until you drop them.”