Most endurance athletes will say it’s the last few miles that they dread the most, and their biggest challenge is finishing the race strong.

I understand where my emotional baggage came from and how it affects me. But how do I unpack this baggage so it doesn’t continue to drive my life in an unhealthy direction?

Emotional baggage is usually seen as unresolved emotional issues from our childhood that shape our attitudes, emotions, and behavior and detrimentally influence our current lives. Here’s how to deal with it.

Growing up or living in today’s world means being bombarded by messages telling us that we must “do” things (really well!) to be valued in our society (and to value ourselves).

A challenge response allows you to welcome all that life has to offer and immerse yourself “hip deep” in the experiences it presents to you rather than living with doubt and fear.

The painful irony of the threat instinct is that it once ensured our safety, but today, it can actually harm us and make our lives far worse.

Neither fighting, fleeing, or freezing would likely help us “survive” in the concrete jungles or suburban savannahs of the 21st century.

Seeing failures as threats illustrates a painful psychological trap you can place yourself in. Specifically, you approach these life situations as life-or-death experiences.

We like to think of ourselves as highly evolved and rational beings who think, feel, and act in ways that are intentional and reasonable.

There is uncertainty about whether we can make deliberate choices in our lives or rather just think, feel, and behave in ways driven by the five life forces that have guided us.