Once upon a time, a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the typical "glass half empty or glass half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, "How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?"

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, "From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn't matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor."

"In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me."

As the class nodded their heads in agreement, she continued, "Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed–incapable of doing anything else until you drop them."

"It's important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. No matter what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the night and into the next day with you.

If you still feel the weight of yesterday's stress, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down."

解 說

某一天，一位大學心理學教授在講台上踱步，向滿堂的學生講解壓力管理原則。當她舉起一杯水時，每個學生都認為，他們將會被問到典型的：「這杯水是半滿或半空」之類的問題。但教授卻面帶笑容的問：「我拿的這杯水，有多重？」

學生們七嘴八舌地，喊出了從八盎司到數磅不等的答案。

她回答說：「照我看，這杯水的實際重量並不重要。這一切都取決於我拿多久。」

「如果我拿著它一兩分鐘，那相當輕；如果我持續握住這杯水一個小時，它的重量可能會讓我的手臂有點疼痛；假設我連續一整天拿著它，我的手臂可能會抽筋，接著感到完全麻痺、癱瘓，讓我把玻璃杯砸到地上。」

「在每種情況下，這杯水的重量都不會改變。」教授說：「但是我拿著它的時間愈長，對我來說它就愈重。」

當全班一致同意這個說法時，她繼續說：「你們生活中的壓力和憂慮，非常像這杯水。

「短暫地想著這些煩惱憂慮，不會發生什麼；再多糾結於這些事久一些，會開始有點痛苦；若整天想這些惱人的事，會感到完全麻木和癱瘓，除非你決定『放下』，否則將無法做任何其他事情。」

「記得要放下壓力和憂慮是很重要的。無論白天發生過什麼事，盡可能在傍晚就盡量減輕自己的負擔。不要抱著煩惱憂慮上床睡覺，甚至隨身攜帶它們到第二天早上。」

「如果你仍然感受得到昨天的壓力，這就是一個強烈的暗示，告訴你：『是時候把玻璃杯放下了。』」