For the past year, I have taken cold showers every morning (or most).
Over this period, I have learned many lessons about myself, fear, health, willpower and about habits in general.
Today, I am going to share the 7 best ones with you.
- The fear doesn’t go away.
No matter how often you do it, that little voice in the back of your head, that says: “Come on, just set it to warm this one!” never fully goes away.
There will be times when you laugh at it and there will be times when you will listen closely.
Some days you will turn the dial to the coldest setting and be excited to step in.
Some days you will stare at the shower head for 30 seconds, shake your head, and set it to cold.
But it is always there.
And that is a good thing, as it means you will face your fear again and again and again.
Every day after your cold shower you will step out, and you will be a champion once again.
- Cold showers make you mentally tough.
What does facing and beating your fear on a daily basis do to you? It makes you mentally strong.
You will become much less whiny and not give in so easily.
You not caving in the morning and resisting the urge to take a semi-nap under warm water might make all the difference.
It could also mean you not caving later at work; for example, when you are facing deadlines and stressful situations.
- Your Immune defence goes up. Way up.
Say what you will, cold showers make you toughen up. The physical difference is noticeable.
You can feel the physical resilience this habit builds up.
I walk around in the rain, wear thinner clothes and have not caught a cold this past year. In fact, this morning, I went for a run in my T-shirt when it was -3 °C. My body has just become much more resilient.
- You can expect an increase in testosterone that’s…noticeable.
Many studies have looked at the relation between temperature and fertility in men.
Some have looked at linking colder temperature to a higher quality, volume and motility of sperm.
When you get of out of the shower in the morning, you will feel this after glow, sort of like an aura of confidence. It’s a great way to start your day because you will feel like you can tackle anything (and anyone).
- You have to remain flexible if you want to make it work.
As with any habit, obsessing over how much you do it won’t help you get there.
If you start from zero and want to shower cold for 10 minutes each day, good freakin’ luck!
You will throw in the towel right at day 4 when you manage to do 8:43 min and “everything is ruined”.
Start out small and don’t blow mistakes out of proportion.
As long as cold water hits your body from above at some point during the day, your good.
For example, a good way to start off is by having a normal shower first. And then slowly dial to the cold setting and try finishing off the last 30 seconds of your shower at the cold setting. Then try increasing to 60 seconds, 90 seconds and so on and so forth.
Also, don’t be afraid to change things when they don’t work. Just make sure you get going and fix the details as you go.
- You realise you’re stronger than you think.
I am sure you have had this feeling before:
You’re trying something new, something you have never done before, or are about to start on a task you don’t feel very confident about.
You give it your best shot…and it works, at least sort of.
The moment I am talking about is the one where you go: “Hey…I can do this! I’m much better at it than I thought I would be, I can handle this!”
This is called confidence and it’s one of the most important determinants of your success in life.
You’re ability to create a successful life, whatever that means to you, hinges on you being able to trust in yourself.
This little “Hey, I can do this!” moment you will have every morning when you take your cold shower will dramatically alter your faith in being to handle life’s challenges.
This is the single biggest reason to take a cold shower every day.
- Habit stacking works
Like anything, habit stacking works.
Commit to doing this for a week. Then set goals for 2 weeks, a month and then a few months. Also consistency is key; therefore, if you miss a few days in a month it doesn’t matter. Just make sure you are getting as close to your goals as possible. Perfection isn’t necessary.
