College is a stressful time. You have the constant worry and pressure from academic, social, and personal life. At times, it can feel overwhelming. Reframing the way you view these worries and stresses can help you move past them.
As I was scrolling through TikTok, I found this really great story:
A professor stands in front of the class with a glass of water.
She asks, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers ranged from 8 oz to 16 oz.
She replies, “The actual weight of the glass doesn’t matter. It matters how long I hold onto it. If I hold it for a minute, nothing happens. If I hold it for an hour, my arm begins to ache. If I hold it all day long, my arm feels numb and paralyzed. The weight of the glass itself hasn’t changed, but the longer I hold onto it the heavier it becomes.”
The stresses and worries of life are like that glass of water.
If you think about your worries for a little while, nothing happens. If you think about them for a little bit longer, they begin to hurt. If you think about them all day long, you feel paralyzed and unable to do anything.
What are you stressed about? What are you worried about? What’s paralyzing you from living today how you want to? Think about it. Gather your thoughts. And set them down.
Most of what we worry about doesn’t even come true anyways. Let go of them, so that you can move on with your life.
Instead of viewing your worries as how big they are, or how heavy they feel, think about how long you’ve carried them. The stress of that final exam . . . of your big presentation . . . of a job search.
It can range from the smallest worry to a life-changing event. But the size of that stress doesn’t matter. It just matters how long you hold onto it.
Always remember to put the glass down.