A Systemic Family Therapist walked around a room while facilitating a Systemic Family Constellations workshop, he took a glass of water and raised it up. Everyone expected that they would be asked the “Half empty or Half full” question. Instead, with a smile on his face, he asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. He replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralysed. In each case, the weight of the glass does not change, however, the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “The stresses and worries in life, are like that glass of water… Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt… If you think about them all day long you will feel paralysed – incapable of doing anything.”
Remember to put the glass down
