Dealing with Stress

Dealing with Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience.  Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘Half empty or half full?’  She fooled them all.

“How heavy is this glass of water?” she inquired with a smile. Answers called out 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 practiced.

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 again tomorrow if you must.

1. Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some says you’re the statue!

2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4. Drive carefully…  It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

5. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7. Never buy a car you can’t push.

8. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

9. Birthdays are good for you.  The more you have, the longer you live.

10. We could learn a lot from crayons.  Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull.  Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

11. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

Fr. Chester