Mo Brossette has spent his whole life trying to better understand the human body. In his work, he uses this understanding to assist veterans recover from catastrophic injuries. Today, he is discussing with Tristan what lessons might be applied to all of us. How to breathe better, how to live better. Let’s dive in…

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How to get your mental state in the right place to be able to function at a high level? Where do you start? 

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1. Breath. We’ve done this since we came into this world but sometimes we forget how to breathe. When you can learn how to control your breathing on a regular basis, you can start your day with relaxed diaphragmatic breathing. This puts your brain in a state called Alpha. How you do it: Belly expands during your inhale. Belly draws in during your exhale. Exhale is longer than inhale. When you get in a stressful situation, you begin to breathe. You are calm and relaxed. Everything functions and happens in the Alpha state while you are awake. 

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Here’s a simple breathing exercise to start: 

• 4 seconds inhale through nose 
• Hold for 2 seconds
• Exhale for 6 seconds through nose or mouth

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2. Self Talk & Language. Don’t tell me what you can’t do. I care who you used to be or about what you did yesterday. I care about the person who you are today and “What can you do”. 

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When you talk about mastering fear, what does that entail? 

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“It’s not about being afraid. It’s about being in the middle of the fear and learning how to use that to do the right things.” 

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Most people, once they feel fear, they dial it back. They don’t know what to do when faced with fear. Here is an acronym that I use:

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Focus 

Excitement

Awareness 

Readiness   

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It helps to use fear for excitement. This creates an awareness of breath, body position, language and “what can I control in this situation”. This in turn creates readiness. It’s having the ability to shift and flex and not be perfect. Just roll with the situation and let it go. Fear is something that we all have. 

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When we outline what our actions will be when we encounter those things, all the sudden we can take control of it. 

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How to take action on top of the fear that we have? How to push people forward to see the opportunity? 

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It’s learning that it's scary shit.  There is zero guarantee it’s going to work. But if you never try - it’s never going to work. Dive into it smart and take the first step. What can you do by noon today to make the first step to success? What is the low hanging fruit? Who can you contact by noon to start the process of being successful? 

Can you take a step? What’s the next step? 

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Don’t think about what if you fail.

Make it work.

What can you focus on right now to start? 

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“The reward is so much greater because of the stress and struggle.”

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How do we change the emotional triggers that send us in the wrong direction? 

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This is where self-talk and breath comes in. You have to breathe and become in an alpha state or you won’t be able to mentally change. We can’t change in a beta state (which is also known as a “fight or flight state”)

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Breath is key. 

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Let me focus on what I can do right now. 

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You start by accessing and auditing your self-talk. “ I can’t, I don’t want to, I suck.” 

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Write down the negative words every time you say them and make a checkmark. 

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Then you recognize the pattern. 

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“What can I do? I don’t suck, I’m strong, I’m confident and I’m resilient.”

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What are the different states? Let’s go through each one. 

Alpha State - Awake but calm - meditative state of being (Einstein and Picasso are great examples) This is when creativity happens. Something fun happens. Cognitive functions happen more during this state. 

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Beta State - Dialed in and focused. Sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). This is where we spend most of our time. We don’t know how to think or breathe while in this state. 

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Theta State - Sleeping state 

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Delta State - Deeper state of meditation or sleeping 

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We want to strive to be in an alpha state the majority of the time, which means  disconnecting from social media. Go outside and into nature and just breathe. This will automatically reduce stress and bring you into an alpha brainwave state. 

Be grateful about what you’re going to do today. 

Do 10 breaths - and be grateful, strong, and ready for what the day brings. 

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How do you prepare for going on stage or going into a nervous situation? 

I go somewhere quiet and breathe. I just smile and think about what I’m going to do. I think about the lives I’m going to change. I’m just excited to share information with people. I check in with myself and say, “I’m ready for this. I’m ready to adapt and adjust. I can’t be stopped.” I use positive self-talk. 

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What is the process of meditation?

1. First off - What is mindfulness meditation? Paying attention to a specific thing in the present moment on purpose while breathing without judgment is the exact definition. 
2. Recognize that you are never going to think about nothing. All we are trying to do is increase the space between those random thoughts. Five minutes is a good time to start and do it for at least three days a week. You will start to see changes in your bio chemistry and brain functions. Use an app like Insight Timer and just listen to a person’s voice - that is it. When you catch yourself thinking about the things you need to do - just bring your attention back to that person’s voice. The more you do it - the more you will focus. 
3. How long is meditation? Start at 5 minutes. Then go for 10 minutes. Then 20 minutes or more. 

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Where does sleep fit into your day?
The most important thing is sleep. You won’t recover and your mental state will suffer if you aren’t sleeping well or enough. It will affect brain function and disease states. 

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In this order of importance: Quality sleep, breathwork/meditation, nutrition and movement. 

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Tapping back into the breath. Ask yourself - what do you do 90 minutes before bed? What type of information are you consuming? You have to work on your sleep hygiene. If you are going to watch TC, watch something positive. Use blue light glasses. UV lights have been known to shut down melatonin production. If you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about stuff - then use a journal. Write down all the successes you had today. What did I learn? What was a win? What do I need to do tomorrow? It takes the tension off of waking up in the middle of the night. 

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Another way to fall back asleep - Put on a 60 minute meditation with a nice calm voice. Using binaural beats also helps. 

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How to keep your mind sharp and keep out of negative self-talk?

I use a journal. I bookend it every day with journaling. Here’s how to do it:

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Begin the day. 

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Start the day breathwork and meditation. 10 breaths before you even get out of bed.

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Then I write in my journal. 

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Think of gratefulness. Expand on it. What challenges do I have to face today? Use positive affirmative words. What one thing that will make today a win? 

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End of the day

When journaling, I ask myself - What went well? What did I learn? What am I excited about for tomorrow? 

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Again, use affirmative words when you write.  

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“A journal becomes a blueprint for your success if you allow it to be.”

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What else are you working on? 

I have a fitness app coming out next month called Complete Human. It’s available on Apple or Android for $14.99 a month.  Complete Human is your one stop shop for all things health and wellness. Workouts, nutrition guides, meditations, mobility and mindset are all designed to facilitate the journey of The Complete Human.

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Find Mo Brossette: 

www.Hunt-prosper.com is my website 

Hunt_prosper on Instagram 

Morris Brossette on Facebook

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