The Startle Jolt

Metaphorical Narrative

You’re working quietly. A sudden noise snaps your body into lightning. Muscles tense, heart spikes, breath caught. The old script whispers: “You’re too fragile.” But this was only a nervous reset.

Core Insight

This is the Startle Jolt archetype. Nervous system jolts are survival reflexes misread as flaws.
Mechanism: sensory spike → nervous surge → mistaken self-judgment.
Spotting cue: instant shame after startle.
Allowing the jolt to crest and fall reframes it as simple physiology, not evidence of weakness.

Saturday Experiment

When startled, pause. Let the jolt pass fully, then say: “Reset complete.” Resume once calm returns.

Sunday Reflection

Write in third person: “They felt the Startle Jolt. What old judgment was replaced with a reset view?”