Outlet or light switch

This past week after JiuJitsu training, talking with my wife about the idea of “Smack talk” helped me to examine the idea of an outlet. The idea of an outlet is giving yourself the opportunity to escape and channel your feelings towards something other than the routine activities that consume our everyday lives. For me JiuJitsu is considered an outlet, but I also have developed a light switch for myself as a result of the outlet. When I am on the mat, I feel a sense of comfort in being able to be myself. One aspect of my offentic self is that I have a routine tendency to “smack talk” while I train with my teammates. After the round is over, I compliment my teammate for their abilities during the roll and for being a good sport. The jokes are never meant to hurt others, but just used as a way to keep sparring light-hearted and challenging at the same time. When I am off the mat and not in the training environment, this switch is turned off. My outlet has turned into a place for me to be myself and develop a way to shut off when not in that environment. I understand that you should always be yourself, but filtration of one’s self is often beneficial. EyeRoll4 the ability to create a switch within an outlet.