Saturation Point – Handling Stress

While out walking last week I noticed how saturated the ground was. The grass was waterlogged and as I walked on it, it was like squeezing a wet sponge with water rising up over my boots. Drains were overflowing, puddles of water were lying everywhere and riverbanks were struggling to contain the swelling flow within.

Any more rain falling would have nowhere to go.

Normally the water would drain down through the earth eventually flowing into natural watercourses, ditches, streams and rivers. Some of it would evaporate from the natural effects of the sun and the wind. Our manmade solutions would take some away through drainage systems. None of these are enough to cope with such heavy quantities.

Reflecting on this made me think about how sometimes we can feel saturated by information raining on us or demands being made of us. Under normal circumstances we are able to handle these and then sometimes they all seem to come at once.

We probably all react in different ways to this pressure, some with external outpourings like a river breaking its bank and others internally like the wet sponge.

So what are some of the natural and ‘manmade’ tools we can use to cope when we are being saturated – when we are under stress?

  • Recognising what is really important
  • Prioritising – focussing our mental and physical energies on the most important first
  • Action – sometimes thinking about things can take more energy than actually doing them
  • Sleeping on it – some things are so urgent that we have to deal with them immediately and others will either wait a while or we will find a simple solution if we put it aside. Sometimes things will even disappear just like the sun and wind evaporating the water
  • Delegating – to colleagues, friends and family
  • Sharing – talking to someone can help either by just allowing some of the water that is saturating you to flow out or by helping you to find a solution
  • Breaking it down into manageable chunks just like emptying a puddle of water drop by drop

What else can you think of?

Can you feel some of that water draining away now?

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