“STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR WOMEN” A young lady walked confidently around the room with a raised glass of water while leading and explaining stress management to her audience. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question: “Half empty or half full?” She fooled them all. “How heavy is this glass of water?” she asked. Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.
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 an absent teacher tomorrow.”
In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the weightier 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 heavier, we won’t be abler to carry on.”
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down 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.”
Then, with a wink, she listed 14 ways of stress management for women ~
- Always keep your words soft and sweet – in case you have to eat them.
- At all times, wear stuff that will make you look good – in case you die in the middle of the night.
- Always be kind, but if you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
- If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
- Shop wisely. Never buy a car you can’t push.
- Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
- Since it’s the early bird that gets the worm, sleep late.
- Remember, the second mouse gets the cheese.
- Beware! When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
- Learn to celebrate birthdays. The more you have, the longer you live.
- Learn a lesson from a box of crayons. Accept that some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
- Be an intentionally happy person – one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
- Try to imagine the stress of your situation in the scheme of things in eternity. Will it matter? Or, focus on this question: “Will how I handle stress make a difference in someone’s life in ten years?”
- Take a deep breath and try to see the situation through the eyes of mirth and merriment. If you don’t have anyone to practice with, look in the mirror.
Stress won’t go away, but how we handle it can make it less of a health hazard ~ The Bible has this to say about stress: