Stress Management

 I once heard a lecturer explaining stress management to an audience.

The lecturer raised a glass of water and asked, how heavy is this glass of water?

Answers called out ranged from eight to twenty ounces. 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 and that's the way it is with stress management. 

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burdens become increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you must 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/life down.  Don't carry it home with you. You can always pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, set them down for a moment if you can.  

Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short!

Blessings

 

It is crazy the materialistic society we live in.  The United States is the richest country in the history of the earth and individually we are very wealthy compared to people in many parts of the world, yet we are often not happy with what we have.  That feeling is exaggerated by the barrage of advertising that promotes materialism. Think about wanting what you already have.  Most of us are truly blessed, no matter what our consumerism society would have us think.  Besides, there is a lot less stress in wanting what you have got than in not having what you want!

 

Count your Blessings, they are right in front of you!

Life’s normal heartaches have not stopped…

The emotional drain and weight of these times are significant.  I am not even sure we know how this pandemic is really impacting our mental state. There is uncertainty, disruption, and financial pressure. We do not have our normal social outlets available to us. This is all on top of life’s routine challenges.  People are still losing loved ones and marriages are in turmoil.  Kids are dealing with chemical dependency and new cancer diagnoses are made daily.  Mental illness, poverty and hunger continue to plague people. Our friends, families and associates all have their normal baggage.  Now they have a pandemic on top of it!  People are crumbling under the weight of it all. 

Two thoughts…

1.    Be kind to yourself.  Don’t ignore the signs of stress.  As leaders we want to be strong, but it is okay to not be okay (MMM 3.30.2020). Give yourself a break; this is uncharted territory.

2.       Be there for others.  People are hurting due to the crisis but still challenged by life’s normal heartaches.  You might not be able to hug them, but you can still be there for them.