Starting BJJ tomorrow morning (Super nervous)

I love these threads.

Good on you for going. You won't regret it.

You'll also probably be surprised how many BJJ guys suffer from various anxiety/depression disorders and just how much it can help.

Just the other day I was chatting to a guy who'd just come back from a 6 week break from BJJ, and what a difference he noticed. The day after his first day back he said he felt like he was on drugs. Just felt so good, and was almost literally buzzing with good feels and excitement. I always feel the same thing. When I can't grapple, I get fucking CRANKY. I recently had about 6 weeks off too and after my first class back, my partner specifically noted the difference. She immediately noticed how much "lighter" I seemed.

Learning how to fight is cool. The other benefits of BJJ are way, way cooler, IMO.


This is so true... I have anxiety and depression and have always medicated it with physical activity. Used to be running, but BJJ feels even more effective because it's so cathartic to just FIGHT SOMEONE. It forces me to be really present and aware. I think a lot of people in our society are anxious not because we're "broken" but because we are designed to suffer more physical stress than we do in our day-to-day lives. Without the release of physically escaping a predator or something, we just hold it in and make ourselves sick. BJJ is a great proxy outlet.

Plus, I've heard that activities that demand /concentration/ actually defuse anxiety and racing thoughts the best, and grappling definitely does that too.
 
This is so true... I have anxiety and depression and have always medicated it with physical activity. Used to be running, but BJJ feels even more effective because it's so cathartic to just FIGHT SOMEONE. It forces me to be really present and aware. I think a lot of people in our society are anxious not because we're "broken" but because we are designed to suffer more physical stress than we do in our day-to-day lives. Without the release of physically escaping a predator or something, we just hold it in and make ourselves sick. BJJ is a great proxy outlet.

Plus, I've heard that activities that demand /concentration/ actually defuse anxiety and racing thoughts the best, and grappling definitely does that too.

Yup. Agree with all of the above.

BJJ counters anxiety by forcing you to live in the moment. Generally speaking, anxiety comes from living too much in either the future or the past. But with bjj you cannot be thinking about the bullshit in your life when you've got some muscle bound brown belt squeezing the life out of you. Rolling demands all of your attention... But in a strange way also allows you to clear your mind and just react.

Couple that with the endorphin hit of grinding physical exercise and you're on to a mental health winner.

Plus there's the added benefit of socializing and camaraderie with like minded people.

When my Dad was dying of cancer, BJJ was basically the only way I could escape. It's not a miracle cure, but at the very least it gives you an hour of respite in your day and leaves you feeling better than when you walked in.
 
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