There’s a hole in my bucket
Never would you think that having hole in your bucket is a good thing, but actually when it comes to stress, it is. Whilst researching ways to reduce overwhelm and manage stress, I was reminded of the concept of a stress bucket.
Never would you think that having hole in your bucket is a good thing, but actually when it comes to stress, it is. Whilst researching ways to reduce overwhelm and manage stress, I was reminded of the concept of a stress bucket.
Never would you think that having hole in your bucket is a good thing, but actually when it comes to stress, it is. Whilst researching ways to reduce overwhelm and manage stress, I was reminded of the concept of a stress bucket.
There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza......
There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza a hole.
Never would you think that having hole in your bucket is a good thing, but actually when it comes to stress, it is.
Whilst researching ways to reduce overwhelm and manage stress, I was reminded of the concept of a stress bucket, and thought it is timely to share... so here goes.....
Imagine you have a little bucket that you carry with you which fills up slowly when you experience different types of stress. Depending on your personality, values and resilience, this may be a huge window cleaner’s bucket, or a small, plastic child’s bucket. We are all born with a different sized bucket – this is our capacity to cope with stressful life events
We all live with leaky stress taps. Every day, new stresses will be filling up our bucket. It may be little trickles... niggles about diet, work, an argument with the other half, that don’t seem a lot on their own, but if left will build up and up. Or it may feel like a fireman’s hose has suddenly come out of no-where and blasted your bucket... a sudden feeling of panic, overwhelm and overflow.
On some days, you may feel super strong and able to carry a lot of stress, on others you need to find ways to tip a little out and lighten the load.
What ways do you have to lighten the load, to put holes in your bucket?
What’s your helpful coping technique? Maybe it’s a Me-MOT... creating time for yourself to reboost your batteries. Or connecting with others... a proven way to gain energy and work through our worries. Or it could be as simple as writing your worries down... give yourself a worry budget – 15 minutes to write down everything that’s on your mind. You may not even have to action anything... just getting it out of your head could make a difference. The best way to empty your bucket is to do a little but often. So what are the new daily habits you could create to reduce your stress and set yourself up for a great day?
Next time you get 5mins for a brew, grab a pen and draw (yes I said draw) your stress bucket. You don’t have to be Picasso, but trust me, drawing it may help you to “tap” into a new thought...
What does your bucket look like? Is it big (suggesting you have high levels of resilience) or small (it doesn’t take a lot to feel like it’s overflowing)
How full is your bucket currently? What has been filling it up recently?
What will happen if it overflows?
What ways do you have to empty your bucket? What has worked for you in the past?
What small holes (sticky habits) can you put into your bucket to ensure you don’t get to overwhelm? What new daily habits would build your ability to cope?
Share your bucket with others, and ask them about theirs.
So before you start your day today... ask “what’s in my bucket”... and be proud if you find yourself humming all day...
“There’s a hole in my bucket.....”
(Concept adapted from an idea by Brabbam and Turkington 2002)
A bit about Bounce…
At Bounce Coaching & Development Ltd, we use the clever bits from brain science and mix them with oodles of positive thinking and a sprinkle of fun to create learning solutions that stick.
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