The Loadout Room
Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • 1A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
        • The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventuresThe Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures
        • maxim defense cqb stock (8)The Maxim Defense CQB Stock: Short and Sweet
        • Perfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG wayPerfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG way
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • RIP-MVehicle Preparedness: Fast access to essential items | Grey Man Tactical RIP-M
        • Midland radioOverland Essential | Midland Radio MXT275 | GXT1000
        • ppGrab your gear and go | Here’s everything you’d need to build an adventure go bag
        • Scrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the fieldScrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the field
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stingerThe Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
        • How to determine how long you have before the sun setsHow to determine how long you have before the sun sets
        • fireWilderness survival expert breaks down how to build a fire
        • 5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt, SWAT Tested and Approved
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Shop

How a T-shirt got me through Navy SEAL training Hell Week (Pt. 2)

How a T-shirt got me through Navy SEAL training Hell Week (Pt. 2)

February 22, 2018 by Loadout Room Guest Authors Leave a Comment

In my previous article, I discussed how visualization—or what I call “paradise from the pain”—can help us get through challenging or difficult times by allowing us to live in the moment that comes after the pain or discomfort.

But how do we do that? How can we train our brains to focus on what’s up ahead and not on what we’re experiencing now?

Training a SEAL to tackle Hell Week

I was recently preparing a young man for SEAL training. It was a hot Southern California day—the dry Santa Ana winds were blowing—and we were heading up a dusty firebreak by my house in San Diego.

“What is your favorite part of training?” I asked him. “I mean, when do you feel the best?”

“When I’m working really hard,” he said.

“Really?” I asked. “For me, my favorite part is later in the day or night when that feeling of having lived a badass day comes, knowing I did everything I needed to do to live the life I want to live.”

“Oh yeah, well, sure, that part is the best,” he said with a bit of hesitation.

I went on. “I used to struggle with the part of my training when I had to get ready at home, drive there, and then, like, the first 15 minutes. Sometimes it would even cause me to skip training altogether. That ever happen to you?” I asked him, knowing the answer.

“Well, yeah,” he confessed reluctantly, as if not wanting to get up, get ready, and head out the door to train would instantly disqualify him from ever becoming a SEAL.

“What if I could teach you how to love that part? Do you think your training would improve?”

“Is that even possible?”

Motivation: Desire and preferences are under your control

“Of course it’s possible,” I said. If I lived my life thinking that my motivations, desires, likes, and hates were something permanent, something that I was born with, I’d still be sitting on the beach stoned on too much salt and sand instead of being a former Navy SEAL and an accomplished writer.

I taught the young man how to use the technique of visualization. I said, “From now on, when it’s time to get ready to train—you know, that part you’re not looking forward to—I want you to intensely visualize yourself relaxing in the evening and doing the things you like to do. Imagine your surroundings, what you’re wearing, what you see, and pay very close attention to that feeling of having lived a badass day. Be that guy who’s training to be a Navy SEAL and really feel how that guy feels.”

“That’s it?” he asked. “It sounds kind of airy-fairy.”

“I know, but it’s actually more scientific than it sounds,” I said. “There’s some biology in play here.”

Getting high

In our bodies, there’s an organic chemical called dopamine. It’s released by neurons to send signals to other nerve cells. In our bodies, dopamine plays a major role in reward-motivated behavior. To put it in simple terms, our brains release dopamine when we experience pleasure and also when we anticipate experiencing pleasure.

That’s where the visualization comes in.

We can train—or trick—our brains to feed off these burst of dopamine when we envision ourselves reaping the rewards of our hard work or training. Don’t like paying your bills? Visualize yourself relaxing on the couch afterward and watching television after having completed the task. Hate doing homework? Focus on how good it feels to get a good grade before you start.

Over time, you can transition some of your insufferable activities so that they are not only sufferable, but entirely pleasurable. Now that’s paradise!

Debrief

  • What in your life did you once dislike, but now love? Brussel sprouts? Working out? Running? Spending time with your family? What made your feelings toward this thing or activity change?
  • What unpleasant activity would you transform to pleasurable now if you could? Why?

Originally published on SOFREP and written by ERIC DAVIS

Share This

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: (BUD/S) training, BUD/S, Hell Week, loadout room, Motivation, Navy, Navy Seal, Navy Seal Training, SEAL, sofrep, t-shirt, visualization

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

What’s Hot

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review
Featured

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review

Gear Reviews

Best Budget Fixed Blade - Gerber StrongArm

Gear

The Liberator 2.0 By Safariland - Hear the Difference

AR Build Kits under $300
Firearms Technology

Peak AR: Davidson Defense AR Build Kits under $300

Featured

Watch: Halle Berry and Keanu Reeves used live rounds to train for John Wick 3

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

In Case You Missed It

Gear

The Liberator 2.0 By Safariland – Hear the Difference

April 2, 2021 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

Best Budget Fixed Blade – Gerber StrongArm

March 9, 2021 Leave a Comment

Firearms

Covert Operations Case – Keep Your SMG Discreet

February 26, 2021 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

KA-BAR LDK – Slash, Stab, and Escape

February 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

Get it on Google Play

© Copyright 2021 Crate Club Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers