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Week 2: Love, Lies & the Pillow of Doom — The Psychology of Self-Preservation (and Bad Decisions)

I have always been fascinated by how far humans will go to protect themselves — or, sometimes, their own image.

We talk about fight-or-flight as if it’s only about escaping danger…
But here’s the truth: fight-or-flight kicks in whenever our brain thinks our world — our status, reputation, or secret — is under attack.

And sometimes? That danger isn’t a tiger in the jungle.
It’s your side boo about to sneeze.

One of the closest times I’ve been to death…
was when I was a side boo to this beautiful lady.
She was so cute, I wouldn’t have minded being anything at all in her life.
I didn’t know at first, but when she finally told me, I was already too far gone to quit.
Girl was hot.
Heart says “stay.”
Logic says “run.”
I stayed.

The problem started when her “main boo” called while I was around.
Whenever that happened, I was to become a non-living thing.
A ghost.
An invisible man.
Me — a whole human being — instructed to stop breathing like some undercover agent on a mission.

And I accepted my cross.

One morning, we were chilling in her room after breakfast, gisting, laughing.
Then the phone rang.
It was Boo No. 1.

She put her finger to her lips — the universal “Shhh, don’t ruin my double life” signal.
I got the message.

She told him she was “alone and missing his broad chest.”
She even called him “teddy bear.”
(Meanwhile, I’m in the room, not even qualifying as a button on the teddy bear’s shirt.)

Then it happened.
A sneeze began brewing deep in my chest.

I tried to hold it in.
I really did.
But the thing had its own will.
It was coming out slowly, menacingly.

Before I could turn away, she bolted across the room — with the speed of an Olympic sprinter — and slammed a pillow over my head.

Now, let me tell you something…
You think women are weak?
Wait until she needs to hide her secret.
She was practically suffocating me, cutting off air like she was trained by the CIA.

When she finally let go, I was breathless and pale.
I kid you not — I almost died.
And if I had, what would I have told God?
“That I died because someone’s teddy bear called”?

The Psychology Bit:
That moment wasn’t just drama — it was textbook self-preservation instinct.
When we feel a threat to something we value — even if it’s just our image or a relationship — our brain releases a cocktail of adrenaline and stress hormones.
It makes us react instantly, bypassing logic.
Her reaction was pure fight mode — eliminate the threat (my sneeze) before it could “expose” her.

Humans do this all the time:

• We hide mistakes at work instead of owning up.

• We double down on a lie instead of admitting the truth.

• We stay in bad relationships because leaving feels like losing control.

The brain cares less about morality in the moment — and more about survival.
Even if survival means suffocating your side boo with a pillow.

If Week 1 taught us about ego, Week 2 is a reminder of this:
We’re not as rational as we think.
In the right moment, survival mode will make anyone — even the sweetest, cutest person — a ruthless operator.

And yes… sometimes survival mode is triggered by a sneeze.