Joanne Lee SmithChronic pain and symptoms recovery Nurse / Coach

Brain's Protection: Overcoming Fear and Pushing Limits

17 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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1:34

In this motivational monologue, Joanne Smith explains that the brain constantly activates protective alarm responses—not because the body is actually damaged, but as a default safety mechanism. She argues that repeatedly confronting these signals during endurance activities (like 5K, 10K, and ultramarathons) retrains the brain to recognize the situation as non‑threatening, allowing the alarm to subside. Smith advises listeners to recognize the brain’s intent to “slow you down,” use pre‑emptive self‑talk to acknowledge the protective signal, and willingly experience the temporary discomfort, thereby breaking the cycle of fear and enabling continued progress.

Chapters

So there's just infinite, infinite ways that the brain can protect us, and so it switches on, whether that's whatever it might be. But it's not because the body's damaged, it's not because you've done too much. The body is so capable of doing many, many things, and if I'd have stopped every time that I experienced this, then I would have never made it to ultramarathons. I'd have never made it to a 10K, 5K in the beginning. I had to just continue despite, and it gets the message eventually, the brain goes, oh, this is not dangerous after all, and it starts to settle down. So when you're going in and doing it again, knowing that, that's a better place to be going in and doing it from than a place of fear where the alarm bells are going to get Raised even more every time. So yeah, it's not because you're damaged, and it's because the brain is just trying to slow you down, and you— your decision. But if you find yourself time and time again getting stuck and getting nowhere, then I really encourage you to just understand this and just Have a little pep talk with yourself beforehand and say, okay, I know that you're trying to protect me, and I'm willing to experience whatever happens because I know that this is temporary.