You must be crazy ! Cold showers ! That’s impossible ! I can’t do that !

If that’s what’s you’re thinking, read on, let’s see what they can teach you by going through what I learned.

First, a little history. How did I come across cold showers? Via Joel Runyon’s great TedTalk. It got me thinking. What if I did this. Since I’m curious I had to find out for myself. So I did. I started the 30 day cold shower challenge, found it amazing and decided to integrated it into my morning routine and did it for 4 months straight every single day. Now almost every single shower I take is cold. It feel so much better. I still enjoy a warm shower once in awhile, but cold water is my default now. 

Here’s what I learned, and what you will discover should you take on this challenge. And you definitely should take on this challenge.

Overcoming the uncomfortable

Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable completely changes your approach to life. I now enjoy more being uncomfortable because I learned it was during moments of discomfort that you progress and grow the most. Don’t get me wrong, being uncomfortable is by definition uncomfortable, so I still feel the discomfort. However the approach I have when I apprehend this discomfort is what has changed. I accept it and embrace it more easily, whereas I used to constantly fear and avoid it. Now for instance, I actually enjoy taking cold showers. It isn’t a problem anymore. I’m grateful for it. This is what you get for being comfortable with the uncomfortable, you start enjoying it and having fun with it.

As Joel said:

“If you aren’t willing to be uncomfortable for five minutes, when you’re alone in the shower, and the only negative outcome is you feeling cold for five minutes, then how do you expect you will have the strength and courage to choose to be uncomfortable in a situation where outcomes are more important and the people affected far outnumber yourself?”

What excuses are and aren’t

Excuses are the things we tell ourselves to rationalise our fears and avoid discomfort. They can either convince you you are right – you will then take no action – or, you can decide they don’t matter and act despite their existence. Excuses aren’t barriers that stop you. They are simply thoughts. And as with all thoughts, they can be replaced. Excuses aren’t the things that stop you from acting. You are.

The insurmountable becomes trivial

Usually, I have found, we vastly overestimate the difficulty of a task before it’s completion. And then, once finished, we see how foolish we were at the beginning in overthinking and having so much apprehension over something that was so simple.

I once actually laughed at myself while taking a shower for thinking how easy it was now, when reflecting on how hard it had first seemed as an outsider looking in.

This is a wonderful way to admire the simplicity of things while recognizing how we humans tend to overcomplicate everything.

Taking action is the only solution

Despite all the excuses I could come up with or the thinking I did in my head. The only way to take the cold shower is to take the cold shower. As the quote goes:

“Do the thing and you shall have the power”, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing wakes you up quicker in the morning

This is, in my opinion, one of the best benefits I find to taking cold showers.

The burst of energy you get is incredible! Once you overcome the anxiety, pain, and coldness of it all, I’m telling you the state in which you find yourself after the shower I amazing! Your whole body goes on high alert. Your blood vessels constrict, your heart pumps the blood to your brain and muscles. You’re senses are more acute. You feel alive. You feel like you can do anything. It’s such an empowering state to be in. 

I start of my days like this. Get up, exercise, cold shower. And just like that I’m up and ready to take on the rest of my day and be the best I can.

Conclusion

In short, cold showers are an excellent way to get comfortable with uncomfortable things, learning to break through excuses with action, admiring simplicity, and waking up in the morning.

To experience this, simply commit to get started tomorrow, you can even start today ! Go ahead, turn the water to cold, and see what happens. Just 5 minutes of discomfort for some real long-term benefits. I dare you to try.

 

Tell me about your experiences in the comments below.

Adrien

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