By Mark Wood
The first time I ever tried doing this I think I had one of the biggest mental battles of my life. I was ready, determined and was even a little brazen in my approach.
What it turned into was me standing there butt-naked staring at the shower for an extended amount of time.
I’m talking about cold showers
Personally hot showers have never appealed to me, I just don’t like the feeling but I understand why most people love them. Of course in an Australian summer a cold shower often means warm anyway.
Kicking your day off with a cold shower could be one of the best things you do for increasing your mood, productivity, improving memory and decreasing fatigue.
From my own experience I’ve found this to be hugely beneficial for my early starts, and I feel more focused and driven at early hours of the day.
It’s your first time
Just setting the water to cold and jumping in isn’t always the best way, and I’d almost bet that 9/10 of you reading this would probably end up like I did the first time.
Instead start with spending 2 minutes under warm water, do your soapy cleaning stuff first. Then comes the cool bit…
Start to turn the water down as cold as you can handle without pain or loss of feeling.
You may find that your breathing picks up and heart rate increases. This is a convenient way to fit some mindfulness into your morning by focusing on the physical feelings and senses.
I find closing my eyes and taking deep breaths allows me to control my body and before long you’ll feel much more comfortable under the cold water.
Of course what I feel when I get out could be purely anecdotal but I definitely feel better. I’m alert, and just have an overall feeling of being ready for my day. I’m definitely a pro cold showers kind of guy.
If that sounds like something you want to try, give it a shot and let us know how you go.
Extra listening if you’re interested in hearing a little more
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