The Impaired Grappler

Phillip Grapsas Black Belt under Pedro Sauer. Impaired with arthritis I do what it takes to stay on the mats as Stagnation Leads to Suffering. #impairedgrappling

My aim is to share my story as I work to become The Repaired Grappler in a natural way. 

I hope to inspire others to keep mobile using Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with a self defence mindset to help them find ways to grapple with impairments, metaphorically and literally.

Filtering by Category: Darkness

Lessons From the Dark: Rules to Battle the Inner Chaos.

Be the “observer” of yourself and others. 

Be honest with yourself and the people closest to you. 

Be the person you think you are. 

You are not alone, the darkness spares none of us. 

Stagnation Leads to Suffering.

Be selfish. 

The Grass is Greener on the Inside. 

Do Jiu-Jitsu. 

Do what you have to do but do what you love as well. 

Take one step at a time and continually work towards a bigger goal with small daily steps. 

Try to do something that scares you every day. 

Live within your means. 

Practice daily mindfulness. 

Come to terms with your connection to food. 

Ask the question “Is it an ad?”. 

Hack your simulation.

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My Battle with the Darkness: Depression, Anxiety and Addiction.

This is a tale of someone who has always been middle class, skirting between upper and lower.

My tale represents an average person with a strong ethnic heritage, born into western society and should be a lesson that depression is universal within our culture.

Depression can be a cruel mistress, she will come to you from different angles, adapting every time you learn to recognise her. It requires constant vigilance to keep from tripping.

We need to address ways of smashing through depression naturally, rather than exacerbate the problem solely with pharmaceuticals.

I would never want to change or forget any of these experiences, no matter the pain or suffering endured, as it has been my greatest teacher.

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