How 3 years of cold showers flipped my personality
Seems strange to say that the way in which you approach your daily shower can change how you approach the world but this is what happened to me.
Tip Toeing into Toughness
In 2019 I began cold showering. I had been hearing about the benefits of cold exposure and deep diaphragmatic breathing physiologically but the reason I wanted to experiment with it was because I knew that this was a very small gateway into increasing my mental toughness.
So I began, starting and ending every shower with as cold water as I could, with some hot water as I normally would do in between.
I experimented with straight cold showering too, counting the seconds in my mind and that really left me feeling like I was conquering myself. However, I did miss the hot water too. So I’ve settled on the sandwich approach, always starting and ending with the cold.
Now coming up to 3 years since I began this routine, here are some of the ways it’s changed me beyond just the physiological effects.
- Increased resiliency. When it comes to being resilient to extreme weather, particularly the cold, I am now much more comfortable. I wouldn’t go as far to say I enjoy it, (although a part of me definitely does) but it’s far more manageable now.
- Zero complaining. My capacity to complain has completely gone. I simply don’t do it. I won’t allow my mind to go there. So much so that I now find myself getting impatient and annoyed with people who do tend to complain.
- Controlled thoughts. Following on from the zero complaints mentality, the cold has made me think immediately about the things within my control. In the shower that’s my breathing, but day to day, amongst the randomness and chaos, I’ve find that to be the case too. If you can control your breath, you can control your thinking.
- Increased gratitide. Without doubt I’m more grateful for smaller things. For every time I am comfortable, lounging at peace, enjoying a hot meal or doing something else I’m privileged enough to experience, I remember that slight contrast of being uncomfortable.
- Increased self-confidence. This sounds silly but being comfortable in the cold has given me a quiet self-confidence when starting new and difficult challenges. I know that I’m not starting psychologically from zero, I can adapt to uncomfortable conditions. The experience has been transferrable for me from endeavors ranging from intellectual to social. Why? Because I know I’m capable of adapting.
- Increased longer term vision. Another thing I didn’t expect to happen was my ability to think on longer timescales. Undergoing a 30 day challenge is one thing, but to stick it out month after month and make it become part of who you are requires a lot of time and patience. But since doing this, I’ve learned I can take this approach into other areas of my life too, which has been long overdue. If I can show patience and perseverance once, I can do it again.
- Increased standards. Maybe my favorite side effect if you will, but cold showers have definitely made me raise my overall standards. Even on the coldest of January mornings, I still step into the shower as cold as possible. I don’t accept a break or an excuse. I now have a certain level of self-expectation and pride when it comes to the shower. It began as one of the key areas in my life I know I keep the bar high and it has now begun to spill over into other areas too. I’m always looking to keep those minimums as high as I can.
So, if you haven’t tried cold showering, what are you waiting for?! Give it a shot, even a week’s worth of cold exposure will benefit you and change how you see yourself and what you thought you were capable of.
And hopefully, when it gets hard, this little article can help you remember why you started. Good luck.
