Week 19 – David Brezinski

Pushing through physical and mental fatigue.

It can be a real struggle at times! A culmination of work, karate training, family, life in general like heinous shootings where children and innocent adults are killed. All of these things can and often do sap my energy–I feel like I am utterly exhausted! But even under these conditions I always strive to push through which is both resiliency and coping with adversity. It reminds me that my karate training is in some ways very similar to running a marathon; it is 90% mental. There are some days I just do not feel like doing my pushups or even going to the dojo to train, but interestingly enough when I do them I feel better and in turn more grounded, less stressed.

There are at times physical issues like my broken hand, a pulled or tight hamstring and other aches and pains that I suppose come with getting a bit older. I too recognize I can train too hard and cause myself more issues when I do so which too can increase the level of fatigue I am feeling on a given day.

I am learning that I do need to rest; I do need to give my body and mind, a break, and not continually pressure myself to do just one more set of pushups or go for a 5 mile run when my body is telling me otherwise yet my mind is saying “Just do it!” This has always been a struggle for me and in turn can feed the fatigue rather than help to alleviate it.