Sunday, December 24, 2006

Stress Management

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 8oz. to 20oz. 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. " "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. "So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. "Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

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

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

Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

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

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

Never buy a car you can't push.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

The second mouse gets the cheese.

When every thing's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

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

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

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.

And the one I want printed on a t-shirt:

"It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others."

It isn't very Christmas-like, but it's all I have at the moment. I do hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not sure where this story originates, but I LOVE the whole analogy of the glass of water to stress. Over the years, I've gotten much much better at putting down the glass of water, and I'm a much happier person as a result! Thanks for sharing more tips!

Catherine said...

I think I've seen many of the list before, but not the glass of water story - it's a great one. Have a very relaxing Christmas!

srp said...

I love the one you want on a t-shirt.
Have a great Christmas! I did get up to Williamsburg... but alas, I have run out of time for the posts. The wreaths were gorgeous and all quite different than last year. Fewer shells, more wheats and grasses and seed pods. Baskets mounted on the doors seemed to be more popular as well. I haven't had a chance to go through all 150 pictures.

Panthergirl said...

Those are great!! I love the one about reading something you'd feel good about dying in the middle of. No one wants to be found dead reading "Reader's Digest"!! ;)

Here via michele today, Judy!

Badaunt said...

Merry Christmas to you, too!

(I want that t-shirt, too. "Let me be a lesson to you," it should say.)

Anonymous said...

Very wise words for a stressful time of year!
Merry Christmas Eve to you and may it be calm and fulfilling.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha... Gosh I hope this won't be a “statue” day for me. That was great! Personally, I would have a t-shirt with “Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once”.

Merry Christmas to you too, Judy.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you
Here via Michele

craziequeen said...

Hi Judy,

I am now in a high stress job - Health and Safety Officer to a very large site.

My stock phrase is 'sometimes I'm the dart and sometimes I'm the dartboard.'

:-)

cq
Here via Michele today

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this wonderful Christmas gift Kenju. I enjoyed it for a time and then...Re-gifted it within my own Christmas entry by including a link to it. Great entry!

joared said...

Merry Christmas!

Carolyn said...

That is some excellent advice Judy. Thanks for sharing it. And a very Merry Christmas to you and your family too! :)

Bobkat said...

Hi, Thanks for dropping my my blog and wishing me well. i'm much better now thanks :-)

I do like some of those sayings. Basically life is too short!! I must agree with you about the last one though. I'm pretty sure that sums up my life, Lol!

Merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful advice for the New Year, I think! Have a great Christmas, Kenju!

sage said...

Have a merry Christmas Kenju

craziequeen said...

I have the crayons metaphor on my bloggie....

Merry Christmas, Judy my dear, from all the way across the the ocean...

cq

Michele.......well, but you knew that..:-)

Anonymous said...

Merry merry to you!

I love coming in here, you're always refreshing & fun.

My favorite saying at the moment is stolen from Wordnerd: Some people are like Slinkies. Not good for much, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."

And I like the 'some mistakes are too fun' one. That about sums me up.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

This was great, Judy!
I wish you the very Best Christmas, my dear...Enjoy all there is and I hope SAnta is very very good to you!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Gorgot to say Michele sent me this afternoon, my dear!

tiff said...

I'm with Biff (but who's surprised at this?) that the "some mistakes are too much fun to make only once" thing really resonates with me. :>

I think this is an excellent holiday post. Making people happy is a wonderful gift to give!

Anonymous said...

Indeed, words to live by -
Michele sent me,

Mike

David Edward said...

that was worth the read, Thank you and Merry Christmas