A simple, yet powerful message to help manage daily stressors in life.

In a popular video that went viral a few years ago and is still often shared today, a professor shows his students a way to help manage their stress.

He notes that we’re all often faced with challenges and obstacles in our lives, and that when stress creeps in, things can feel impossible or hard.

The professor goes on to fill a glass with water and present the glass to his students, asking them how heavy the glass is. A few students take their turn at guessing numbers like 8 or 12 ounces. He then notes: “The absolute weight of the glass doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold onto it.”

Holding it for a minute may be easy, but holding that glass for hours will cause his arm to begin to ache. If he holds onto that glass of water all day long, then his arm may feel numb and paralyzed. While the weight of the glass has not changed, it becomes heavier the longer he holds onto it.

He goes on to note that the same thing happens in our daily lives the longer that we hold onto the stresses and worries in our lives. If you think about your stress all day long, you may feel helpless or paralalyzed with and fear and worry — so it’s important to remember to put the glass down.

If there are things in your own life that feel like this glass of water, try not to hold onto it for longer than necessary. Move forward every day by doing things that you love, and doing things that’ll help propel you to where you want to be.

This is an important message for us all: stress is inevitable, but it is how we handle it that truly makes us stronger.