Relationships & Stress

 Then there is the danger of email & facebook. One of the real problems with ceaseless emails and with sites like Facebook is that you can't see or hear the person the other end of the communication - so it is easy for things to be written or read in a way that was never meant. The volume or quantity of contact (200+ on facebook or you're no-body)- which can be fine - but may replace the depth of friendship that could otherwise have helped. Sometimes the sheer volume can of itself bring stress

 Relationships can bring stress can't they? There are moments of unkindness and confrontations. Those who love us the most can hurt us the most too. I think one of the biggest stressors I have observed in relation to stress & relationships is comparisons. BOTTOM P 4 .We can compare ourselves with our friends, compare with what they have or own, compare with what they are, compare with what they can do, compare with what they look like maybe even their influence on our mutual friends. Comparison is a robber in friendship maybe we can learn to put that robber in prison. Let's catch it challenge and change. Learning to be who I am and being content with who I am. But actually this potential source of stress is also a wonderful source of healing for our stress. .........  

In the ancient writings it says somewhere, each one of you carry your own load and bear one another's burdens. Your own load is what you should carry on your own. What you and I should be taking responsibility for and that will include moments of stress for sure.  Load or burden? Burden is when it all gets too much that's when we need friends to help us lift the weight a bit. It's good to offer help and quite appropriate most of the time to ask for it.

 Friendship is one of most profound ways to bear one another's burdens. What the writer was seeing I think was that stress which has gone beyond the good, that stress which has moved towards distress and helping us to find a way to help each other in it. Isn't it great when you can sit down with someone you trust and say to them 'I have really been struggling with something could you just listen or could you give me your perspective - help me climb back into positive mode help me to catch challenge change. Sometimes even just hearing the words you know will come but from another persons lips is helpful.