put down the glass

 I am pretty sure that I have used this cute story before, but I think for me at least ...it bears repeating. I recently have been carrying a glass of water ( a stress ) around with me. And yes, I carried it way too long, when I finally decided to put it down I realized that I really should have put it down much sooner. I know better... but sometimes I forget this simple, sweet message. I was grateful for the reminder today!

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”
 
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, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!
Found photo of glass of water here:
So these are some quotes that  I need to remember more often!
Good night dear friends, hopefully you can sleep because you have put down the glass too! 

Half Empty or Half Full?

 Some dear friend sent me this story. She knew that it was something that I would like and one that I could share with you on my blog...it's true! A great reminder for all of us. Enjoy dear friends and good night! .
 
 A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ...“How heavy is this glass of water?”

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, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!
 Story came from here: http://www.fitlife.tv/
Photo of glass here:  

Out of Balance...once again!

   One would think that at the ripe old age of 52.5, that I would be a bit wiser than when I was young. I used to remember my Mom telling me to slow down and try to balance things a bit better, so that I wasn't so stressed or tired. Why is it when you think you are young, you think you are invincible and don't take that advice? But what is more upsetting I still haven't figured it out at my age!!!!
   I know, I am a slow learner. I have a bit too much on my plate right now, and my body is starting to send me warning signs that it doesn't like it! It is hard to believe that just a couple of years ago, when I was still trying to heal from the treatments of my cancer, I literally begged my Heavenly Father to let me get strong and healthy enough some day to be able to serve Him, my family and others.
   Now I am sure He is just shaking His head that I have already gotten out of Balance ....once again, in such a short period of time! So I need to do some prioritizing, it is so hard when you want to do sooooooooo many things. But I do know my body well enough, that if I don't slow down soon, it will completely STOP me and I won't have any other options.
   Well, I just thought you should know that wisdom is suppose to come with age... but in some cases ( special  cases ), it might take a bit longer. :) Maybe I need to get new glasses, ones that will help me see my priorities better!
Good night dear friends!

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony."

"Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself."   Jessye Norman

 

"When our life is out of balance we have stress! Balance in your life does bring less stress to your life!"

 ~Catherine Pulsifer

Stress Management

A dear friend of mine sent this to me and I thought it was well worth passing on. It is pretty clear cut and simple, but why are things like this so hard to remember? I guess that is called Life huh? We are all trying to figure out how to balance. We all know that stress does terrible things to our bodies, not to mention our lives... so we should try harder to figure it out. Maybe you have, I hope I am not the only one that struggles with stress every now and then?

Take care dear friends and thank you for all the help and reminders you have given me, when I am stressed out. You examples have helped.

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 20g to 500g.

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.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.   (www.StFrancisHospitals.org)

 

"If things go wrong, don't go with them."  ~Roger Babson

" Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it."  ~Mark Twain

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy"  ~Leo Buscaglia

Stress

Again I am reading in the book YOU CAN BE HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT  by Richard Carlson, Ph. D. ,the chapter I read today was about STRESS. I am feeling a lot of stress and so I am trying to figure out ONCE AGAIN how to control my thoughts. Here is is the what I RELEARNED tonight.

Stress is seen as a necessary part of achievement, relationships, careers, and life. The word has become a catch-all to describe, validate, and explain almost everything that is wrong in our lives. "If I weren't under so much stress, my life would be better" is a very common belief indeed.

Stress is a major cause of unrest in our lives, but we don't have to surrender our lives to it. If we understand where stress originates ( in our own minds ), and its relationship to our thinking, we can begin to eliminate it, regardless of our circumstances. Stress is not something that "happens to us," but rather something that develops from within our own thinking. From the inside out, we decide what is and is not going to be stressful. Gambling my be a thrill for one person, and for someone else the cause of a nervous breakdown. For one person, having children is the purpose of life, and for another is seems like too much responsibility. Each of these examples, as well as every other situation in life, is actually neutral, not inherently stressful.

The moment we define stress as coming from anywhere other than from within ourselves, we set ourselves up to experience it---and are too late to prevent it. Each time we describe stress as "out there", we validate it's existence. We then need to find ways to cope with, manage, or manipulate whatever it is that we believe is causing the stress.

You cannot effectively deal with something that, in reality, does not exist. Stress does not exit--other than in your own thinking. Your stressful thoughts are no more real than your non-stressful thoughts; they're still just thoughts. To rid yourself of the stress in your life, first understand that stress is your perception of the situation, not something inherent in it. There is not a "cause and effect" relationship between the events in your life and the feeling of stress.

Once you see there is no such thing as stress, only stressful thinking, you are on the road to immediate change and can take up responsibility for your own life. When you redefine stress as something you can control, it's  possible to maintain a positive feeling, even when circumstances are a great deal less than perfect.

"Second thoughts are ever wiser." ~ Euripides

"All that you achieve and all that you fail to achieve is the direct result of your own thoughts"  ~ James Allen