Jiu-Jitsu provides to many more benefits than people realize….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"article":"On Saturday, I had to change a sensor on one of our vehicles.\u00a0 One bolt.\u00a0 One connector.\u00a0 Top of the engine.\u00a0 Nothing in the way of it. My daughter asked me how long it would take and I said it would literally be 2 minutes.\u00a0 Never were more prophetic, or cursed, words uttered when she said, \u201cDad, that\u2019s what you always say.\u201d\u00a0 Fast forward 4, yes 4 hours later in the \u201cwarmth\u201d of a 5 degree garage, after having to remove the intake manifold, buy an inspection mirror and a grabber tool, and pull out the part of the sensor that broke off inside the manifold and landed in the intake runner of the head, the car was back together\u2026\u2026.and the problem I hoped to fix was (and still) is not fixed.\u00a0 I\u2019m not proud of the words that came out of my mouth or the anger and frustration I had as half of my day was ruined by that little experience. We have all been there in that type of situation in life, and yesterday was clearly not an example of a success story for how Jiu-Jitsu has helped me deal with stress in life.\u00a0 But working on vehicles is still a trigger in my life that I haven\u2019t contained yet.\r\n\r\nHowever, I can happily tell you that Jiu-Jitsu has helped me in so many more areas of my life, and helped just about everyone who steps on those mats, deal with stress.\u00a0 I am so much calmer when dealing with people and situations at work, situations in the past that would normally get me riled up.\u00a0 I have talked to many former military personnel that have said Jiu-Jitsu has been the best therapy for them for PTSD.\u00a0 Having done this for so long, it\u2019s very clear to me why.\r\n\r\nJiu-Jitsu, more than any other martial art, puts you in stressful situations 100% of the time that you are on the mat sparring.\u00a0 Every second you are sparring, you are literally trying to prevent your opponent from getting into a position to break you.\u00a0 The mere act of sparring makes it almost impossible to think of anything else but the immediate task in front of you.\u00a0 Literally, never have I thought about any of life\u2019s problems when I have been in the middle of a sparring session, even during those times when life felt like it was crushing me.\u00a0 It is almost impossible to sit at home and NOT think about the things that are stressing you out.\u00a0 It\u2019s like saying DON\u2019T think about an elephant right now.\u00a0 Pretty sure you just did.\u00a0 Jiu-Jitsu gives you that mental break to get your mind off life\u2019s problems, even if just for an hour a day, a couple days a week. This is not to say you should use it to run from your problems.\u00a0 No, what it should do is help clear your head and revisit them from a better state of mind.\r\n\r\nJiu-Jitsu also teaches you how to be uncomfortable and how to deal with it.\u00a0 I used to be very claustrophobic.\u00a0 But after being put in situations over and over again that would trigger that, I have largely overcome that phobia.\u00a0 When you can handle the constant physical and mental pressure that Jiu-Jitsu sparring provides, it WILL transfer to handling other aspects of your life as well.\r\n\r\nFinally, you are in constant physical contact with a training partner for an entire class.\u00a0 Humans are social animals.\u00a0 We need physical contact to feel whole, to feel connected.\u00a0 This was never so clear as it was during COVID.\u00a0 The physical separation that time caused to people in this country has long lasting effects.\u00a0 But those that came to classes when we opened the doors often mentioned that this was their haven.\u00a0 They could be themselves.\u00a0 They could be around people.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t judged, stared at, or attacked for not wearing a mask.\r\n\r\nSo, while I still have work to do in my life in controlling my own triggers, Jiu-Jitsu has helped fix many of them.\u00a0 So, if you know someone that could benefit from what it has to offer, invite them in for a class.\u00a0 You never know how it might just change their life.","featured_image":"","featured_image_id":"","featured_article":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-309","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n