3 Lessons Inspired by Martial Arts that Will Improve Your Self-Control During Conflicts
#1 Meet your inner monster and tame it
In a meta-study that lasted 24 months, two Belgian researchers investigated 350 scientific papers tackling the relationship between martial arts and socio-psychological outcomes. Although they couldn’t quantify the correlation between martial arts and specific behaviors, the Belgian scholars stated: “Past research has mostly pointed in the direction of the appearance of positive effects, going from a higher level of self-regulation and increased psychological well-being to a decreased violence level among its participants.”
The positive effects highlighted by the meta-study have one metric in common: self-control. In psychology, self-control is the ability to manage impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals — all you need to handle conflicts. After all, conflict resolution with your spouse or colleague is a delicate goal to accomplish because of the risk of succumbing to irrational impulses during repeated confrontations.
Since martial arts delve into the ultimate form of conflict; physical confrontation, they are the perfect training ground to hone self-control. Here are three lessons that I have learned through the combination of practicing martial arts for…
