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ever just completely freeze up when the pressure's on.

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Like your brain just decides, nope,

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not gonna work right now.

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It's the worst.

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Now try picturing that feeling,

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but you're in a fencing match.

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Oh wow, yeah, where every millisecond matters.

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Exactly, and that's actually what today's deep dive

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is all about.

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We're exploring this fascinating connection

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between what's called the reptilian brain

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and how athletes perform under pressure.

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Interesting.

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So we're diving into this article

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from Fortune Fencing.

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It's called Harnessing the Reptilian Brain

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for Enhanced Fencing Performance.

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Okay.

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And their argument is that getting a grip

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on this primal part of our brains,

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it's actually key for anything where you need precision

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when the stakes are high.

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It makes sense, right?

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I mean, it's that primal instinct, that fight or flight.

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Exactly, and they're saying it's not about ignoring it,

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it's about using it to your advantage.

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So how do they say we can tap into that?

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Before we get into the how,

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let's break down what exactly we mean

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when we say reptilian brain.

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Yeah.

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It sounds kind of intimidating, right?

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It does.

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It's like, what is this lizard living in my head?

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Right, so the article,

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they use the term reptilian brain,

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but what they're really talking about

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is the part of our brain that controls

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those automatic survival responses.

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The fight, flight, or freeze, that kind of thing.

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It's not about getting rid of those instincts,

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they're there for a reason.

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It's more about understanding how to work with them.

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Yeah.

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So they don't work against us.

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Befriending the lizard brain.

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I like that.

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Exactly.

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And they even use this phrase in the article,

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characterizing your inner guardian.

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Oh, interesting.

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So it's not this abstract fear response

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you're working with a part of yourself.

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I like that.

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Think of it like your own personal bodyguard.

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Okay, yeah.

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Always on high alert, making sure you're safe.

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Which is great in theory,

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but how do we make sure this bodyguard doesn't overreact

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on the fencing strip, or in life in general,

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for that matter?

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Right, that's what I'm wondering.

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Because I feel like that's where things can go sideways.

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Totally.

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And that's where the article gets really interesting,

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because one of their big things is this idea

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of pre-match dialogues with your inner guardian.

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Wait, so I'm talking to my lizard bodyguard now.

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Basically, it's about actually acknowledging those anxieties

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before a match even starts.

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So it's like a pep talk, but for my reptilian brain.

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You got it.

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You're setting your intentions, visualizing yourself,

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succeeding, it's about reassuring that primal part of you

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that everything's under control.

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Okay, that's interesting.

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So it's not just like, you got this, go get them.

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It's more nuanced than that.

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Right, and the article stresses it's not about

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just saying the words.

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You have to actually visualize it,

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feel that sense of calm and confidence.

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That actually reminds me of something I read

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by the neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett.

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She talks about how thinking of the brain like an orchestra

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with all the different parts working together,

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it's more helpful than thinking of it

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as all these different parts fighting for control.

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Exactly, that's a perfect way to put it.

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And that actually leads perfectly

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into the practical exercises the article talks about,

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how to actually achieve that harmony.

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Right, so how do we get this brain orchestra in tune

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and ready to perform?

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Just dive in.

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So there are a bunch of techniques they talk about.

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But one of the big ones is this idea of visualization

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and not just like picturing yourself.

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Winning the match.

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Right, winning the match.

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But it's more than that.

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Interesting.

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What else should we be visualizing?

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It's about visualizing that internal dialogue

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that you're having with your inner guardian.

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Do not just seeing yourself make the winning move,

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but also how you feel in that moment.

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Feeling that calm, that confidence.

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So it's about connecting the action with the internal state.

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Exactly.

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Okay, that makes a lot of sense.

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Because if you can kind of pre-program that calmer,

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more confident response,

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then you're not letting fear dictate

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those split second decisions.

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Exactly, that's what we want.

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We want a short circuit that fear response.

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And it's not just the work you do beforehand,

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before the match.

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The article also talks about these,

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they call them post-match debriefs with your inner guardian.

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So like a performance review, but for my lizard brain?

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Exactly.

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I love how you're thinking about this.

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But it's true.

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It's about taking the time to think about,

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okay, what worked, what didn't work?

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How did my inner guardian react in different situations?

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Like, did it totally overreact at that one moment?

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Or was it appropriately cautious in others?

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Right, right.

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She starts to see these patterns.

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That's such a good point.

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Because I feel like we often do that with our actions

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after a stressful situation.

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But we don't really apply that same analysis to like,

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to the emotions.

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To the emotions that were happening.

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We just kind of let them happen.

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And this is saying, no, those are important too.

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You've got to acknowledge both parts of you.

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So it's like, you're the strategist.

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And then you've got your little bodyguard.

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Your little bodyguard, exactly.

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You've got your back.

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And you need both of them to succeed.

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It's when they're fighting each other,

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that things fall apart.

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Totally, totally.

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And you know, on top of the post-match debriefs,

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the article also mentions affirmations.

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Okay, yeah, that makes sense.

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Cause it's like, you're reminding yourself, you know?

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Yeah.

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Like, you've got this, you're capable.

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It's about building that foundation of self-belief.

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Yeah, totally, totally.

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And if you're consistently putting those positive beliefs

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out there, it can be really powerful.

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You know, it can actually rewire those,

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those thought patterns that might be holding you back.

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Okay.

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And it got me thinking, you know,

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cause this doesn't just apply to fencing.

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Right.

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That's what I was thinking too.

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So we've been talking about this whole idea

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of working with your inner guardian.

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Right.

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That primal part of your brain

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that kind of takes over when things get stressful.

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Exactly, yeah.

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But I'm curious, does this approach,

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does it have any use outside of like the fencing world?

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Oh, absolutely.

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Right.

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I mean, at its core, what we're talking about here

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is emotional regulation.

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Okay.

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And that's a skill that can be applied

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to so many different areas of life.

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It's true.

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You know, whether it's getting ready

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for a big presentation at work.

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Yeah.

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Or a really difficult conversation

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you need to have with someone.

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Or even just dealing with everyday stress.

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Right.

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These techniques can make a huge difference.

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It's like when you're about to give a speech

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and suddenly your heart's racing,

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your palms are sweaty.

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Oh, tell me about it.

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That's your inner guardian freaking out.

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Exactly.

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It's trying to protect you,

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but like we've been saying,

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sometimes that protection isn't actually helpful.

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It backfires.

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So what do we do?

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Instead of letting those feelings take over,

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what if you just hit pause for a second?

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Okay.

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Acknowledge them.

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Yeah.

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You can even say to yourself like,

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okay, inner guardian, I see you, I hear you.

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Right.

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But I've got this.

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And that's where the whole visualization thing

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comes back in.

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You guys.

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It's not just about seeing yourself succeed,

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but like embodying that feeling of,

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I'm good, I'm calm.

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Right, exactly.

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And the more you rehearse those positive emotions,

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those calm responses,

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the easier they are to access

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when you're actually in those high pressure situations.

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So you're training your brain,

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be like, okay, new path,

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we're going this way,

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calm and collected.

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Exactly.

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It's like building a new pathway in your brain.

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And the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

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This is kind of blowing my mind.

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It's like we have this hidden superpower

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we never even knew about.

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It really is empowering, isn't it?

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It is.

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And look, it's not a magic solution.

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It still takes work.

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It still thinks preparation.

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Of course, yeah.

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But it's a different way to look at those challenges.

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Totally.

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The ones that used to feel impossible.

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Right, like you're not fighting against yourself anymore.

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Exactly.

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You're working with yourself, you're a team.

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I love that.

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And that can make all the difference.

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Well, on that note, as we wrap up this deep dive,

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I have one last thought I want to leave our listeners with.

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Okay, I'm ready.

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If your reptilian brain was an actual character,

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what would it be like?

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Oh, that's a good one.

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What would its voice sound like?

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You know, what kind of personality would it have?

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And most importantly,

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how can you start to team up with this primal part of yourself?

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Keep exploring, keep learning.

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And remember, even our inner lizards need a pep talk

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every now and then.