What You Need To Do When Stress Weighs You Down

It’s been a long time right? Sorry about that. I’ve been a little stressed, and I thought you might be too. So I thought I’d write about stress.

So, I need to start off by saying this whole thing was not my idea. I read it here (and it probably was used somewhere else before that), but it really resonated with me. I’ve been using it in my yoga classes this week, and I thought I would share here as well. Maybe it will help one of you look at your stress from a different perspective.

The Stress We Live With

I’ve been thinking a lot about stress. Just having a family and living in our modern age is pretty stressful. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I have a child with severe autism, which kind of takes stress up a notch. And if you know me personally, you know that it’s been kind of a tough summer with my mother-in-law’s health and my husband’s recent injury. I’ve been trying to keep my energy clean and my focus positive, but it feels like every time I get a handle on my current situation, another curve ball comes. But that’s life, right? We all have something we are dealing with at any given time.

It’s still stressful though. There are a million articles about reducing your stress, self-care, relaxation, etc. Even though they raise valid points, special needs moms like me usually laugh at the idea of reducing our stress. Because the things that are causing us stress – be it medical issues, school issues, behavioral issues, safety issues, insurance issues, or a hundred other things – aren’t going anywhere.

Just a typical day for an autism mom – NOT!

How Heavy Is Your Water?

So, think about a glass of water and how heavy it is. And then watch this video.

In reality the weight of the water is unimportant. What matters is how long you hold it. If you hold it for a little while, it isn’t very heavy. If you hold it for an hour, it will feel heavier. But if you hold it all day it will weigh you down.

Our stress is like this. The weight of what we are carrying is not necessarily what is important. What matters is how long we hold it. So find some time – even just small moments – to put your stress aside so that it doesn’t weigh you down.

I like this comparison much better. It isn’t always realistic to get rid of our stress. We need to acknowledge it, accept it, deal with it, and live with it. But if we can find times to set it aside, we can keep it from weighing us down.

Remember to put down your glass of water.