By Corey Tomlinson, who could really benefit from sitting down with a trained therapist and addressing his personal traumas through careful mental health practice, completed another hour of therapy Tuesday night when he played at manual murder with his teammates at Shogun Martial Arts Academy. Tomlinson had a challenging day at work where his boss criticized and belittled him in front of his coworkers during a staff meeting for a relatively trivial mistake, and was able to work on those feelings over a series of rounds against some of the gym’s white belts.
“I tell you what,” Tomlinson said to teammates after class, “there is just no therapy like throwing on a gi and getting some rolls in. I tell everyone I know that if they’re struggling, they just need to come out to the gym and try some Jiu-Jitsu. Nothing better.”
Tomlinson did not start training in martial arts until he was an adult, having spent his childhood wishing his mom made more time in her work schedule to make it to his soccer games, instead. He often describes head instructor Beth Finley as being like the mom of his second family, an association a trained professional could likely use as a jumping off point for some really meaningful and beneficial personal growth. Tomlinson is reportedly looking forward to a double session Wednesday night to vent some of his unspoken irritation with his partner for leaving dirty dishes in the sink after breakfast.
