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A Slow Burn

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are attacks that threaten that line. You can survive Principle 6:
an attack on your arm or shoulder. It will hurt, don’t Awareness + Assertiveness = Options – The last
get me wrong, but you will survive. Conversely, if principle is A + A = O. Self defense is a proactive
you try to block everything coming at you, you are process where these two elements (awareness
bound to miss something and it only takes one attack and assertiveness) combine to maximize your
on your center line to end the fight. Protecting your choices (options) for avoiding or responding to
center line helps to ensure the fight continues and a threat. Awareness is the ability to perceive,
you don’t get knocked out. understand, and react to your environment.
This is essentially an early warning system to
Principle 4: alert you of any potential harmful situations.
Where there is no balance, there is no power – This Assertiveness is the ability to communicate your
principle is pretty self-explanatory. Have you ever boundaries clearly, confidently, and respectfully,
tried to throw a punch while standing on one foot? and to do it in a way that shows you are not
How about while looking at the ceiling above you? an easy target. When you put these two things
You probably don’t have a lot of power behind any of together you create an environment where you
your strikes. The same can be said for the workplace. can avoid situations all together, de-escalate a
When you think of balance in your life as, self-care, potential bad situation, find help if needed, or
work-life balance, or recreation, you need to create be prepared to defend yourself as a last resort. I
a balance. If you take one of those things away, you think this Jujutsu principle correlates nicely to
become less effective and less powerful. the workplace.
Balance and power are like a three-legged stool. If
you take away one of the legs, the whole stool falls Workplace burnout is an escalating crisis,
over. impacting a significant majority of American
employees and manifesting through physical,
Principle 5: emotional, and behavioral signs. By using
Go no Sen vs. Sen no Sen (reactive vs. proactive) universal principles, such as those taught in
– This principle can have a huge effect on burnout Japanese Jujutsu, individuals can develop
and mental health. When you are reactive you are strategies to manage and mitigate this challenge.
increasing your stress and frustration due to constant Applying principles like selective tension,
crisis management. Being reactive also leaves you knowing when to be rooted or fluid, protecting
feeling out of control and more dependent on external your center line, striving for balance, and
events to determine your wellbeing. It is much more leveraging awareness and assertiveness can help
advantageous in striving to be proactive in your life. you regain control and preserve your well-being.
You will lower your stress and have better emotional
regulation throughout your day. You will increase
your resilience to difficult situations by building
proactive habits. You will also be able to create more
agency and control over your life.

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