Developing a balanced nervous system


A superpower that I've always admired that some people have is "nerves of steel". That is, nothing rattles them, they remain calm no matter what's happening around them. And so today I'm pondering that type of power, how it can be developed, and how it can actually be overdeveloped, which is a bad thing.

Speaking for myself, I've always been a nervous, twitchy person. I made a concerted effort to at least give the appearance of calmness when I discovered that it was a behavior of all of my heros - they didn't become "panicky idiots" during a confrontation, they dealt with it calmly.

But don't get me wrong, these people weren't just relaxed and lazy, they were a coiled spring - ready to spring to action at a moment's notice. They just didn't waste their energy until it was absolutely needed, and then they moved quickly. I like that.

I've seen extreme cases of "nerves of steel", which means that the person has so desensitized themselves to stimuli that they hardly move all. They wouldn't hear the snap of a cable when a piano was about to drop on their head, they would remain motionless. I've known people who are so used to noise that they simply "tune it out" - all of it (which is why a piano could fall on their head).

I'm looking for a balance. I don't want to have such solid nerves that I'm unaware of the sights and sounds around me. And I don't want to panic every time someone drives past me as I ride on my trike on the sidewalk.

I'll let you know how it goes.

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