I want everyday of my life to be amazing. But it’s not. And I have to deal with stuff and people and acts of God. The cold has taught me what to do in less than ideal situations. Everyday before I get in the water, I question it…
Do I have to do it today?
Can I put it off until later?
Maybe I could do it 3x a week instead of everyday?
What if I came up with a schedule so I didn’t have to do it EVERY day?
And then I just go. I stop thinking and I get in the cold water, all the way to my neck in one move. It’s a shock to my body and brain every time. Today I even swore. I almost lose my breath every time. And then it comes back to me, long and slow and calm as I settle in.
I stay for four minutes. The first two minutes go by quickly. Sometimes the final two really drag out.
I try and fill the time. I close my eyes and say a mantra, I open my eyes and notice things I haven’t noticed before. I do Ho’oponopono. I name things I’m grateful for. I watch every second of the clock tick by. I count my breaths. I count my inhales and double up the length of my exhales.
I open my hands and feel more of the cold rush onto my skin. I lift my elbows and the cold shocks me under my arms. I extend my legs and the back of my knees scream out. I feel more and more and more until it’s just a part of me. I am surviving in the cold water.
People ask, “Why do you do it? What benefits am I getting?”
I blather on about the cardiovascular benefits of hot/cold and vascular constriction. But the real benefit to me is simply my mood.
Sometimes I don’t want to admit to other people that the cold changes my mood (because that means I have bad/sad/depressed moods…) Like I am the only person that doesn’t experience those emotions? Of course I’m not.
But I just mentally FEEL better after getting into the cold water. Maybe you can relate it to going to church or therapy or the gym. I walk out of that water and I feel like a super hero. It’s hard to be depressed when you’re just trying to survive. And it’s hard to be sad after accomplishing something like four minutes in forty degree water. I do squats and handstands and pushups to warm my body up and feel even stronger.
I am better able to deal with everything life has to offer after my cold plunge. My day is significantly changed, right off the bat. I am stronger and better and happier and DIFFERENT than I was when I went into the water. I am a real life super hero.
