How 30 days of cold water therapy helped me overcome my fears!
Living in rural Ireland brings with it a certain love affair with nature. It would be virtually impossible to inhabit this beautiful part of the world, without developing a strong relationship with your surroundings. The sea, the fields, the bracken all come together to create a sometimes barren but enchanting landscape that captivates the soul.
I’d like to think of myself as having quite a strong constitution and Winter time for me is an opportunity to really connect to that wild side. This year, I wanted to keep that spirit alive for the long Winter months, to tap into something that would both challenge and invigorate me , something that would reinforce my connection with the wildness of nature at this time of year.
My inspiration:
From a young age, the Atlantic Sea has always been a place I can call home, and when my body hits the water I feel a return to self and a great sense of relief always ensues.
Not wanting to lose this connection during the colder months, I wanted to experience that feeling of invigoration that you get when you dive into cold water. The shock, acting like a wake up call for the body, kickstarting it into action. All cogs running and whistles blowing. The clarity of mind that comes after the swim and that delicious feeling of your body warming up from the inside.
Fortunate enough to count hot water as one of our luxuries and acutely aware of my tendency to become complacent and a little bit lazy during Winter, I decided to embark on a 30 day cold water experience to really see if my body would welcome or shun this pretty brutal practice. What I wasn’t prepared for was the transformation it would bring about not only to my body but to my mental health.
Diving in!
I’d felt this idea brewing in my head for a while and I simply couldn’t ignore it any longer. You could describe it as my body knowing exactly what it needed or it could have been remnants from articles and books I had read on the effectiveness of cold water therapy. Wherever the inspiration came from, I found myself on a pretty miserable drizzly morning, walking out to my hot tub ( filled with ice cold water) for a dip. My feet were already numb and in pain from the walk and my resolve was slowly fading with each step.
Breathing deeply was what I was relying on to keep me from running away. As I took my robe off and felt the cold wind on my skin, my mind was screaming run, don’t this, it’s going to hurt and be so cold. But I had done my research and I knew that if I kept my awareness on my breathing and didn’t panic this could feel effortless. So in I went. It was cold. It did hurt. But my breathing kept me from running off and after a minute I felt my body relax. I stepped out and walked back into my warm home and carried on with my day.
From that day on, I committed to either a cold shower or a cold plunge in the tub. I noticed how quickly my mind tried to convince me not to do it. First thing in the morning, when you are drowsy and warm from sleep, the last thing your body wants to do is be immersed in ice cold water. I always took note of how I felt after.
Accomplished. Proud. Energised. Clear.
Similar to the endorphins we get post exercise, my cold shower was empowering me.
Every single day.
I was facing my fear and going through with it. I was choosing not to let my mind dictate my actions. I was focusing on my breathing which was connecting me to the present and I was not allowing my fears to take control.
This experience especially when practiced daily and first thing gives you a certain boost that you carry around with you throughout the day. I found myself becoming less fearful about other things almost as if I the fact that I was facing something uncomfortable and difficult each morning was paving the way for me to do other things I was fearful of. Which it was.
After 30 days there was no way that I could stop so here we are on day 60. Some days it feels easier than others, but in general this is dependent on my state of mind and whether I give into the ego and take my overthinking seriously. For the most part I love it and would recommend challenging yourself if you feel like you could do with experiencing something new. Like with any health challenge, please do check with your GP if you are worried about any underlying health conditions.
If you need a little but more convincing here are 5 things I’ve learned from cold showering every day for a month:
1) You can be scared of something and do it anyway
2) Your mind is a powerful tool for distraction. Don't let it convince you that you cannot physically do something
3) A cold shower gets you present. Deep breathing makes you regain control and stay in the moment even if that moment is somewhat painful- powerful lesson.
4) Your body gets used to it and actually starts to crave the cold. Yes I know that might seem impossible but I literally cannot wait for my cold showers now. They reinvigorate me and warm me up from the inside
5) You become proud of yourself and this improves your self-confidence. Even something as simple as a cold shower sends out the message that you can do anything. I have made some pretty monumental decisions in the last month and I know part of that comes from facing my fear every morning and smashing through it.