How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water?

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 oz to 20 oz. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter 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 hot it for an hour, I’ll have an ached 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 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 demands of life.”

–    Author Unknown

What particular burdens and demands are you carrying right now that are growing increasingly heavier?

What strategies do you know for resting from those burdens? 

Here are a few tried and tested strategies.  Please comment and share your own.

• Keep things in perspective – Recognize and Stop exaggerated thinking before it gets out of hand.
• Connect with others – include your family, colleagues or supervisor, in helping to prioritize what is expected. Make sure your decisions are mutually agreed upon so that you have each other’s back.
• Know the difference between what is important and what is only urgent.  Block out time each day or week to make progress on the truly important stuff.
• Do not habitually rescue others from their lack of planning.  Let them learn from the consequences of their own mistakes.  If it is your role, coach them toward greater success in this area. I had a boss that loved to say “lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part”.  It really stung at the time.

I hope you will comment and share your idea on finding reprieve from heavy demands.

What is Life Coaching?   Life Coaching is an excellent personal resource to help you get a handle on the many demands that come from balancing family, work, personal well being and having a life.  If you feel stuck, want to be be more intentional about a transition, or want to develop a vision and greater sense of purpose for your life, then contact Patti Larson (patti.larson@kc.surewest.ent).   I can answer any questions you have about  the life coaching process.  You can even schedule a FREE inquiry conversation by telephone.  Much Life Coaching is done by phone and not in person.  Find out for yourself.