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 few minutes 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 and incapable of doing anything.”

Reflecting on so many instances in which “stress” could wreak more havoc on my journey to battle “c” thus far, I find myself shaking my head at the fact that things other than “c” have caused me stress.

Taking a step back, I laugh and exhale recalling who I am and why I’m on this earth. I haven’t been given anything that can’t be handled. As long as I keep moving forward, stress cannot paralyze me. Nor can it you.

Just remember you are too strong to allow stress to control you. Oh! And “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts” – neither one are good for the mind, body or soul:)