Have you ever had one of those days when you felt like steam was just building up inside?

Perhaps you’re frustrated with someone, annoyed by a situation or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Let’s face it, even the best of us have days when we just don’t feel great–and that’s okay.

I call them high-pressure days.  They happen to all of us–there is a reason that stress is associated with high blood pressure and that the expression “blood boiling” came to exist.  

Those factories that you see on the sides of highways (you know–the ones that look like a forest of pipes and valves) face the same problem.  Admittedly, you are not a factory (in fact you’re probably more complex than that) but where you find the same problem, the solution is often not far off.  ’Pipe forests’ have engineers who monitor gauges and pressure constantly–and when needed, they take proactive steps to let off some steam.

But where are your pressure gaugers?  How will you notice in advance that something is building up?  When you recognize stress, do you have the power to help it go away?

Self reflection helps, but often pressure is due to some external circumstance, and ultimately only an external solution can remedy things quickly.

This is where friends come in.

A wise Pakistani once told me, “A good friend does not just respond to his brother’s needs; a true friend will do everything possible to anticipate.  By the time your friend realizes at the dinner table that they would like another piece of Naan bread, you should be holding it out for them.”

You don’t need to wait for those around you to reach a boiling point to be a support beam.  Instead, pay attention to cues about what someone is nervous about or what might be on their mind and check the pressure gauges.

The best kind of friend passes you the naan bread or takes care of the steam well before you realized that you needed it.

~ Bryan

Tags: pressure