Feb. 8, 2012: De-Stress!

My day started out on the right foot.  But what can I say?  It took a nose dive this afternoon.  Work was stressful.  Realizing there is not enough time in the day, or days in the week, to get everything done that needs to get done, or enough time to put in the quality of work that really should be done is stressful.  I wasn't alone.  Several of my colleagues had a similar experience today.  It seems fuses were short, and admittedly, so was mine.  As we left work discussing the day, several people talked about being "on edge", snapping at colleagues who really didn't deserve to be snapped at, and then having to apologize.  We chuckled about the absurdity of the collective meltdown, and of mental health professionals losing their patience.  We should somehow be above that, right?  

I met with my trainer after work, conscious of the fact that I wanted to take my stress out on the workout, and not the trainer, lol.  My mood lightened up as soon as I entered the gym.  My personal trainer put me through a grueling 30 minutes of cardio.  He pushed me to my limits in that short amount of time.  But I felt good afterwords.  I stopped at the grocery store and headed home.

When I came home, even the cats were hissing at each other and having standoffs!  I guess they had a stressful day, too!

I really wanted a glass of wine to help me unwind.  I mean, let's face it, it would feel nice to kick my feet up, uncork a cabernet, and get caught up in a mindless television show for an hour.  That sounds like a fun stress reliever!  But I know one glass would turn into two. One of my 90-day challenge goals is to allow myself a 2-drink per week maximum, and I planned to have those drinks with friends on Thursday night.  Aside from that, a glass of wine is only a temporary fix.  I opted to write my blog entry instead.  Then I could see where the rest of the night lies.

I read my email and scrolled through the dozens of forwards that I usually never have the time to read.  On one hand, I appreciate people thinking of me and that I might want to read the cute sayings and comical jokes, but if I took the time to read every one that gets forwarded from multiple people, I wouldn't have a life as I would be on the computer all day.  I prefer to read the personal messages, but with the forwards, I do try to pick and choose.  One email jumped out at me tonight, however, and I had to click on it.  The subject line read "STRESS!!!".  I had to repost:  (Sorry that I do not know the original source.)

A young lady confidently walked around the room while explaining stress management to an audience.  She had a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the usual question, 'half empty or half full?' She fooled them all by asking, "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, 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."  

She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress.  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 down stress for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden -- holding stress longer and better each time practiced.  So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down.  Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.  Pick them up tomorrow.

Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

I'm going to lay my stress down for the evening.  Time for a little play time,...

  And relaxation!

Take time to unwind and enjoy your stress-free moments today! 



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I'm going to lay my stress down for the evening and let it go.    
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