This is Jocco Podcast number 374 with Echo Charles and me, Jocco Willink.

Good evening, Echo.

Good evening.

I found myself in a C-130 lumbering through the sky at 20,000 feet one late spring night.

When you're inside an airplane or a helicopter that says sensation of height is muted,

as far as the physical senses are concerned, you might as well be standing in a small wobbly room

or sitting in an uncomfortable chair.

But once we reached the right altitude, I was in the tail, standing on an open ramp,

staring into a pitch black abyss and getting ready to throw myself into it.

Did I mention that I hate heights?

The fear response is an interesting thing.

There are some basic physiological reactions come into most people,

an increase in pulse and respiration, dilation of the pupils,

but others are idiosyncratic.

Mine, I yawn.

I know it sounds weird, and I used to think it was too.

But what I now know is that yawning is just my body's way of trying to re-regulate my breathing.

Take in more oxygen and access my parasymphetic nervous system.

Of course, the outward appearance of this suggests the complete opposite of fear,

which is handy when you don't want people to know that you're nervous.

But I was.

I was nervous every time I got ready to jump.

...