I’ve mentioned that I recently started taking cold showers in a few previous posts, but I haven’t talked much about them. Now that I’ve been taking them for a few weeks, I’ve noticed some things that I’d like to talk about. Maybe I can even persuade you to give them a try by the end of this post.
I started by getting used to showering without using a heater in the bathroom and embracing the slow progression away from pure comfort. Then I would take my usual warm showers and turn the temperature down to cool for about a minute at the very end. Over time, I gradually increased the amount of time I spent under the cool water in addition to steadily decreasing the temperature. Eventually, I got to where I could skip the warm water altogether and start off with cool water, finishing with the coldest water I could get without losing water pressure. These last few steps took a lot of time and mental preparation before I could take them, but I was glad when I finally got to that point. Now my showers start off cool and end cold, and I like it that way.
Since I started taking cold showers, I’ve noticed a few positive changes in my life. The first one is that I don’t get cold nearly as much or as easily as I did before. I’m a lifelong Floridian who prefers cooler weather and feels hot most of the time but have always had a strange relationship with the cold, as evidenced by my past use of a heater during warm showers. I also used to wake up feeling freezing cold during the winter even though Florida winters are nothing compared to winters in many other places. As I’ve gotten used to taking cold showers, however, those things have started to change. I don’t think I’ve been cold as often or to the same degree (no pun intended) in the morning as I was in the past. It’s become easier to warm myself up without putting on extra clothes or moving around a lot. I don’t know if cold showers will give me any advantage when I go to places that get extremely cold, but they’ve definitely helped me handle the cold times in my neck of the woods.
Another change, and one I appreciate a lot more, is how cold showers have affected my mindset. When I first step into the shower and get hit with the cool water, my first instinct is to think “That’s cold!” and back away. Instead of doing that, I remind myself to breathe and then focus on taking slow, deep breaths as I get used to the water. While I do this, my head is almost completely empty. Focusing on my breath makes me very aware of it as well as my body and leaves almost no room for thought. This helps me adapt to the cold and puts me into a relaxed state in which I forget about what I did that morning or what I will do later in the day, as well as anything that might be stressing me out. When I get used to the water, I shower normally and then go back to focusing on my breath and getting out of my head during the final minute of standing under the coldest water I can get. After that, I turn off the water and open the shower curtain before I dry myself off, continuing to abide in that mindful state for the next few minutes as I get dressed. I’ve noticed that when I start feeling stressed later on, I can think back to that cold shower and remember what it felt like underneath the water. Doing so makes me automatically focus on slowing and controlling my breath, which helps me relax and avoid the stress. As you can imagine, this comes in handy in a variety of situations and has made a major positive difference for me.
I’m glad I started taking cold showers and worked through the initial discomfort that came with them. They help me better manage the cold, relax and avoid overthinking or getting stressed, and make me feel refreshed and full of life. I think they’ve also prevented my skin from drying out as much as it usually does in winter and made me feel less congested. Although I tried cold showers years ago, I never went all the way with them as I do now or stuck with them for very long; I don’t see myself going back to hot showers at this point. I’ve gotten a lot of benefits from sticking with cold showers and I’m excited to see what else they do for me. If any of this sounds interesting to you, then I recommend you give them a try. Please let me know if you do try them and what benefits or change you see from making the switch. Thank you and I’ll see you in the next post.