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How heavy is this glass of water?

WombatBootsSenior Contributor15 June 2015, 1:02 pm AEST

How heavy is this glass of water?

A friend posted this on facebook, I've tried unsucessfully to find and credit the source.

I think it's a pretty good analogy,

"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."

Remember to put the glass down."

cheers all

I hope you all had a great weekend

Matt

8 replies

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In response to: How heavy is this glass of water?

JacquesSenior Contributor15 June 2015, 6:42 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

Hi @WombatBoots,

All i can say is WOW, i never thought of it that way, it is so true and a good way to explain how we feel having anxiety and depression.

i have held on to my past so long i am paralyzed by it, unfortunatly it is something i will not be able to let go of, i will have to hold the glass a bit longer 😉

anyway thankyou so much and whomever came up with it they are brilliant.

Take Care

Jacques

In response to: How heavy is this glass of water?

Alessandra1992Senior Contributor15 June 2015, 7:19 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

The other aspect to this story is you can put the glass down to give your arms a rest..the glass will still have the same volume but your strength is renewed with rest..

In response to: Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

WombatBootsSenior Contributor16 June 2015, 2:42 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

OMG @Alessandra1992

thank you 🙂

I didn't think of that, but you are indeed stronger when you do put the glass down

sometimes we don't know how strong we can be until we've "been there"

warm regards to you

wombat/matt

In response to: Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

WombatBootsSenior Contributor16 June 2015, 3:25 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

G'day @Jacques

Mate from your first post till now, I can feel your isolation thawing a little. Be honest it feels great aye 😉

I choose to believe there was something more than randomness that brought me to these forums.

Yours was the first post I read, and trust me you have been in my thoughts since.

And it is the truth, your openess was what made me join the forum. (thankful)

I completely get that you need to hold on to your glass a bit longer, but what I'm seeing is a guy putting his finger in the glass, taking it back out and watching it drip bit by bit. Those who dont understand MI would say "OI just tip it down the sink" ... I get ya mate.

One last thing, thanks to very bad experiences from teeth braces, then impacted wisdom teeth added to my MI and i am terrified and I mean TERRIFIED of dentists. I read your post about you going to the dentist, and i knew i had to. I was shaking like a puppy after his first bath in winter. Your post was what gave me the strength to do it.

I wont go into what I had done (and now more to come) but I will tell you my dentist and her assistant were soooo nice. I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to my next appointment but I can do it thanks to your sharing.

Cheers Mate

be kind to yourself

Wombat/Matt

In response to: Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

JacquesSenior Contributor16 June 2015, 7:18 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

Hi @WombatBoots,

thankyou for seeing what i dont see, i seem ot find it easy to talk on here, but not face to face.

thankyou for such a kind comment, i never thought i could help others to reach out, it is much appreciated.

i am so glad you made it to the dentist, i have no fear of dentists just a fear of people, but i understand how past experiances can make you not want to go back, dentist means pain, am i right?

anyway thankyou for understanding, i hope the dentist trip was successful

Yes having a nice dentist and assistant helps 😉

Take care

Jacques

In response to: How heavy is this glass of water?

LinmercSenior Contributor04 July 2015, 6:52 pm AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

Hi WombatBoots

I have recently read about 'the glass of water' and I would like to thank you for posting it on the forum. I have shown it to many people with the same reaction as me.

Unfortunately, it describes me very well. I have a problem with letting go of the past and the longer I think about things, the heavier they become. I am trying to learn to let things go (or put the glass down) by not letting past injustices stay in my thoughts. It is difficult but I refuse to hold on to the glass for too long and therefore paralyse me.

Thank you again for your post and have a great night.

Stay strong!

In response to: How heavy is this glass of water?

AppleblossomSenior Contributor05 July 2015, 1:00 am AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

I enjoyed the water story. Thanks @WombatBoots

I had a simliar shift in approach regarding my head and neck pain. About 8 years ago Instead of sitting up and feeling all the strain I decided to lay my head a on a pillow as often as I needed. Everybody had told me it was not all right to lie down during the day. It was lazy, or would add to my depression etc. For years, I had been doing my exercises, going to the gymn, walking, learning, improving myself, all the "right" things, pushing, pushing.

When I finally ignored all "shoulds" and rested as my body was demanding, I was able to get a life. I did my last diploma doing all my reading flat on my back. I no longer feel guilty putting my head down whenever I need. Yes I have spent a lot of time in my room, Yes I might be down at 10 in the morning, but then I get up and garden, or cook, or teach, get on computer, or sing or play. Driving into town used to take me 2 days in bed to get over but now sometimes I can do 2 days in a row.There is lots of variety in my life now and a lot of pleasure. My mood has gradually shifted so that I am probably not that depressed any more just little relics of past feelings and habits of thought. It did not happen from fancy strategies just me giving myself permission to be what I was.

In response to: Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

AppleblossomSenior Contributor19 June 2016, 1:42 am AEST

Re: How heavy is this glass of water?

I really loved the first post. Hi @WombatBoots

Also it is interesting to see what I was posting when I first started on the forum. I havent gotten to more than 3 down in town .. and thats def enuff.

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