Let us do a little bit of social experiment. Take a drinking glass and fill it with water. Now, remember, the amount of water you pour does not matter. Even if it’s just a drop, you can still do the experiment. Done? Hold the glass with water for as long as you can. Can you guess the weight of the glass with water?
Now, we don’t want you to go all Science on this one; you don’t have to. The point of the experiment is to tell you that regardless of the weight of the object you are carrying if you hold it for too long, you would start feeling the weight, it would hurt, and your hand will get tired.
You may apply the analogy of the experiment to your life. When we carry problems, whether on our backs or in our hands, at first, it will be manageable. But as we hold on to them longer than we should, they start to cause us stress. Because of the pressure of not dropping them or failing to deal with them, we grow tired and weary—which adds another layer of weight, making it seem like they’re getting heavier and heavier.
If you go back to the experiment, obviously, the weight of the glass with water does not change. The same goes for the things we are going through. They may seem like they are ballooning into something bigger and heavier, but in reality, they aren’t. Sometimes, we simply hold on to them far too long we start to associate everything around it.
Put the glass down
Sometimes, to solve a problem, you have to put it down and look at it from a different angle. Search for new perspectives by not holding on to problems until they start causing you discomfort. Not only will it give you some relief, but it will also allow you to clear your thoughts and focus on what you can do.
A lot of things are happening lately. The least we could do for ourselves is unload unnecessary baggage from our backs and put down some things that keep our hands full. Let go of the idea that there is one solution for everything because there is none. Take one problem off your back at a time. Whether you start with the littlest problem or not, it doesn’t matter.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how you choose to take a step forward. Baby steps? That’s great! Just keep moving. You have gone this far. Fix your eyes and set your mind to the things that matter to you the most.
Life has been hard for all of us lately. But remember this, you have the option to put the glass down. Go on, take off all the weight that’s making you grow weary. Drop all the baggage that’s slowing you down. You, too, deserve to breathe.