I wash my hands after using a public restroom. Then I grab the door handle when leaving and feel like I’ve just wasted my time. Many people don’t wash their hands, so what’s the point? 

When coming up to a fight, I could pick up a head cold. Although no one would know my breathing is greatly compromised, I’d be at a huge disadvantage. While this possibility is always lurking, I just don’t allow space in my head for worrying about it. And so I deal with handshakes, countertops, door knobs and handling money without trying to drive myself crazy.

The fact is most of my life is taken up with working out and training. I’m more focused on mastering new fighting techniques than reading about the latest news in the industry. Sometimes my biggest fight is for a life outside of mma. Long ago I realized I was burning up too much mental energy getting angry at unfair and poorly-informed opinions from some keyboard warriors. 

My tool for keeping in the loop is my wife, Beth. She patrols every website and knows every new detail. She screens the endless data and keeps me informed.

This is not a complete list, nor am I an avid practitioner of any one of these. However, when I am training for a fight, I don’t have the excess energy to burn on these activities. 

During fight prep, my stress relievers are more relaxing. I enjoy activities such as drumming or shooting my pistols at the range.