"The first time you take a real punch to the face, everything stops. The sharp crack of bone, the dizzying blur of lights, the taste of iron in your mouth - your body screams at you to stay out of the fight. Neuroscience research shows that under acute stress, the amygdala rapidly activates stress hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol), while the prefrontal cortex-our seat of judgment and strategy-can be taken offline through powerful neurochemical signaling."
"The real warrior steadies himself after the hit, wipes the blood from his lip, keeps a rational mind, maximizes the likelihood of success, but stays in the ring - win or lose. He brings the rational brain back online by breathing through the dizziness and regaining focus. Then he chooses wisely between attack, retreat, or conserving energy - through the ache. He stays for the end, and then rises to train again for the next beginning."
Acute stress activates the amygdala to release adrenaline and cortisol and can take the prefrontal cortex offline, impairing judgment and strategy. A real punch produces sensory shock, dizzying blur, and urges to withdraw, yet steadying the body, breathing, and regaining focus reinstates rational control so a person can choose attack, retreat, or conserve energy and continue training. Social and emotional pain recruit many of the same neural circuits as physical injury, including the anterior cingulate cortex, which explains why heartbreak hurts like a punch. Reframing pain as training and cultivating wisdom, courage, and radical love builds durable armor for engagement.
Read at Psychology Today
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