While explaining stress management to an audience, the lecturer raised a glass of water and asked ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’ Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to 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.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. 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 it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

Here are 5 simple ways to increase your peace of mind:

1. Do your most daunting task first thing in the morning

It’s tempting to start your day with easy tasks. Don’t. Pushing a daunting task back is like holding a glass of water in an outstretched arm. At first nothing happens, but if you do it for hours or even days, you will soon feel the stress. Do the most annoying task first thing in the morning, and enjoy increased productivity and peace of mind for the rest of the day.

2. Let go of things you don’t control

You make plans to go outside with friends. But at the last minute, it starts raining. What’s your reaction?

Some people upset and angry, and find the nearest person and start complaining to them. “It’s not FAIR that it’s raining. This _always_ happens to me!…”

That’s not going to accomplish anything - the rain won’t stop just because you throw a tantrum. *The rain doesn’t care.* So make the best of the situation. What I do in such situation is go for a quick walk in the park (because rain has its own awesomeness), or just lie in bed reading a good Terry Pratchett book, listening to the rain beating on my window.

Make the most of what you do control, and don’t worry about what you don’t.

3. Don’t worry about what others are thinking

I used to be very self-conscious about my dancing. I would rarely go out with my friends, and even if I did, I wouldn’t dance, instead just standing awkwardly by the side, because I was worried of what others would think.

Then, one day in high school, I decided that enough was enough. So the next time I went out with my friends, I just went to the dance floor, and danced like nobody was watching. And the funny thing was - nobody cared. In fact, people only liked me MORE, because I was having fun.

Don’t worry about what others are thinking of you - most likely they’re too busy wondering what others are thinking of them.

4. List 3 things you love about your situation right now

I first shared this technique with the Positivity Blog readers in my post The Plague of Happiness Ever After (it’s got a dragon and everything in it, read it!)

Just list 3 simple things about any part of your life that you love. Like “3 simple things I love about the room I’m in right now”, or “3 simple things I love about this week”, or anything else.

This is a great technique if you’re ever bored while stuck in traffic, or waiting in the grocery store checkout lane. You can immediately transform boredom into happiness and peace of mind!

5. Walk to a window, look outside, and take a single deep breath

I got this technique from the Zen master Mary Jaksch. Just walk to a window, look outside, and then take a single deep breath, focusing only on that breath and nothing else in the whole world. This technique sounds extremely simple, but you won’t believe how much it can instantaneously increase your peace of mind.

And because this is the last tip, you can try it immediately when you finish reading this blog post. Just walk to a window, look outside, and take a single deep breath, focusing on the air going in and out of your lungs, and nothing else.

   當向聽眾解釋壓力管理的時候，講師拿起一杯水問道：這杯水有多重
？20克到500克眾說紛紜。

講師回答說：shijiyouduozhongbingbuzhongyao，zheyaokanwonazhetadeshijian。yifenzhong
，meiyouwenti。ruguoyigexiaoshine
，wodeyoubijiuhuitengtong。zaijinyibu，yitian，niyinggaigeiwojiaojiuhuchele。dangranmeizhongqingkuangxiabeizidezhongliangshixiangtongde，danshiwonadeyuejiu
，tajiuxiandeyuechen。

他繼續說道：這就像壓力管理
，如果總是懷揣沉重的負擔
，隨著壓力越來越大，遲早我們會崩潰掉。

正如這杯水一樣
，你需要放下它休息一下，調整自己，繼續前行。

所(suo)以(yi)

，今(jin)晚(wan)在(zai)各(ge)位(wei)回(hui)家(jia)之(zhi)前(qian)
，放(fang)下(xia)工(gong)作(zuo)上(shang)的(de)負(fu)擔(dan)。不(bu)要(yao)把(ba)它(ta)帶(dai)到(dao)家(jia)裏(li)去(qu)，你(ni)可(ke)以(yi)明(ming)天(tian)繼(ji)續(xu)肩(jian)負(fu)。無(wu)論(lun)你(ni)背(bei)負(fu)怎(zen)樣(yang)的(de)負(fu)擔(dan)
，如(ru)果(guo)可(ke)能(neng)，暫(zan)時(shi)忘(wang)掉(diao)它(ta)們(men)。

這裏有5個簡單的方法
，能為你帶來平靜的心情。

1.將最艱巨的任務放在早晨。

renmenzongshiqingxiangyuyongjiandanderenwukaishiyitiandegongzuo
，biezheyangzuo。jiangjianjuderenwutuodaohoumianjiuxiangnishenkaishoubijuzhebeizi
，kaishimeishenme
，danshisuizheshijiandetuiyi，nihuihenkuaiganjiaodaoyali。jiangzuijianjuderenwufangzaizaochen，zheyangnijiunengxiangshoudaoxiaolvtishengjiyitianzhongshengxiashijiandepingjingdailaideqieyi。

2.放開你不能控製的事情

你可朋友計劃好外出
，但是最後關頭下雨了
，這時你會怎麼想？

有些人會因此而失望
、憤怒
，然後跟周圍的人抱怨：這不公平
，為什麼這種事總是讓我遇到！

沒什麼可抱怨的
，雨不會因為你抱怨而停止，老天才不在乎。這種情況下我會到公園裏散步（因為雨也很有魅力）
，或者躺在床上一邊讀Terry Pratchett的書，一邊聽著雨水打在窗戶上的聲音。

將你能掌控的事情做到最好
，但也不用太在意不能左右的事情。

3.不必擔心別人的想法

我曾經對自己的舞技感到非常羞愧，因此很少與朋友外出。即使出去我也不跳舞，僅僅笨笨的站在一邊。因為我擔心別人嘲笑。

然ran而er有you一yi天tian我wo在zai學xue校xiao裏li重zhong重zhong的de下xia了le決jue心xin，決jue定ding要yao改gai變bian這zhe一yi現xian狀zhuang。下xia一yi次ci和he朋peng友you們men出chu去qu的de時shi候hou，我wo走zou進jin了le舞wu池chi
，旁pang若ruo無wu人ren的de跳tiao舞wu。有you意yi思si的de是shi並bing沒mei有you人ren注zhu意yi到dao我wo。實shi際ji上shang他ta們men還hai想xiang看kan我wo再zai跳tiao，因yin為wei覺jiao得de我wo有you意yi思si。

不要擔心別怎麼看你，可能他們還在擔心別人會怎麼看他們呢

4.列出3件你喜愛的事情

我是在Positivity Blog中的The Plague of Happiness Ever After文章中第一次和讀者分享這個技巧的。

僅僅是列出生活中你喜愛的3件簡單的事情，如：這個屋子我最喜歡的3個地方，或這個星期我最喜歡的3件事，或是其他的什麼。

在你堵車或排隊而感到無聊的時候這個技巧就會顯得尤為有用

，你能立即把無聊的感覺一掃而光


，取而代之的是幸福和平靜。

5 走向窗前望向窗外，深呼吸。

我從禪師Mary Jakschnalixuedaodezhegejiqiao。jinjinshizouxiangchuangqianwangxiangchuangwai，shenhuxi。jiangzhuyilijizhongdaozhecihuxishangbingwangdiaoqitadeyiqie。zhetingqilaijiqijiandan，danshinihennanxiangxiangzheyangzuonenglijigeinidailaipingjingdexinqing。

這也是最後一個技巧，你可以在讀完這篇文章後馬上試一試。忘掉一切
，體會空氣在肺裏的進出。