About 9 months ago I started taking cold showers and I’ve managed to create a habit out of it.
Why? I’ll get to that in a second.
Now to be fair, I don’t take a 100% cold shower — it’s lukewarm for most of it, but then at the end, I completely turn off the hot water and grin & bear it. I’m from New Jersey and the Summer is MUCH easier than the Winter. When the ground is frozen, that cold shower feels like liquid ice.
So why do I take cold showers?
Because I don’t want to take cold showers.
- It’s about creating a habit around confronting things you don’t want to do and doing them anyway.
- To build up a callus against doing uncomfortable things.
- To keep a promise to yourself that you’re going to do something you don’t want to do and doing it anyway.
There are supposedly health benefits to cold showers too which is a nice bonus.
Side note: keeping your word to yourself is actually very important. When you repeatedly keep promises to yourself, it builds confidence. And the opposite is also true.
The First Cold Shower
The first time I took a cold shower, it was in the middle of Winter so the cold water was COLD. Of course I started yelling when the cold blast hit my skin and my wife comes running into the bathroom to find out what was wrong.
The conversation went as such:
Wife: What’s wrong???
Me: The water is ice cold.
Wife: Our water heater isn’t working?
Me: No, it’s working.
Wife: So you’re taking a cold shower on purpose?
Me: Yep
Wife: You’re so weird. (as she shook her head and left the bathroom)
It’s interesting that even weeks after my first cold shower, my mind would still try to convince me that taking a cold shower on that particular day was not a good idea. It’s amazing how well built our brain is to protect us. Keep in mind, however, that this sometimes creates fear that is not necessary…and it prevents us from doing the things we should be doing…so sometimes this protection is not in our best interest.
Thanks for reading!
I’m curious to hear what you think about cold showers. Have I convinced you to at least try it for 30 days?
I have no plans of stopping the cold showers. As I type this, it’s September and I can feel the cold water getting colder. I’m looking forward to the challenge that December through February will bring.
My mind is already trying to talk me out of it…
