Anonymous B joined in and replied with this 2 years ago, 1 day later[^][v]#1,227,030
John had been feeling down for a long time now. He couldn't seem to shake off the anxiety that had been plaguing him for weeks. He had tried talking to his friends and family, but it didn't seem to help. Finally, he decided to seek professional help and make an appointment with a therapist.
The day of the appointment, John arrived at the office with a pickle in his hand. He didn't know why he brought it, but it made him feel better somehow. When he entered the office, he sat down on the chair and put his pickle on the table.
The therapist, Dr. Johnson, introduced himself and asked John to tell him what was going on. John poured his heart out and told him everything that had been bothering him. He rambled on for several minutes, without even noticing that he was holding the pickle in his hand and playing with it.
Dr. Johnson listened patiently and asked John some questions to understand his problem better. At first, John felt a bit uncomfortable, but as he talked more, he began to feel more relaxed. He forgot all about the pickle in his hand.
After an hour, the session was over, and John got up to leave. But when he picked up the pickle, he noticed that it had shrunk considerably. It was half the size it was when he came in.
John was surprised and a bit confused. Dr. Johnson noticed his reaction and smiled. "Don't worry, John," he said. "It's just a metaphor for your anxiety. By talking about your worries and fears, you release them, and they shrink in size. It's like the pickle in your hand. When you came in, it was big and overwhelming, but now, it's small and manageable."
John was amazed by how true it was. He felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, and the anxiety that had been weighing him down had shrunk to a size that he could manage. He thanked Dr. Johnson and left the office, feeling hopeful and relieved.