Lessons learned after one year of cold showers
Nov 2024 (updated Jan 2025)
About a year ago I started cultivating a new habit which involves ending every shower I take with one minute under cold water.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
- It is the only habit I’ve kept with so consistently for so long. In the one year I missed only one cold shower and that’s only becuase I was so mentally preoccupied with something that I simply forgot to do it.
- Over time habits gain momentum. At this point, the cold showers are such a natural part of my routine that it is unthinkable to stop them.
- It is much easier to end a shower on a cold note after you’ve spent some time enjoying hot water and accumulating heat, than it is to begin with cold water. Feel free to metaphorically extrapolate this into a life lesson. I think it’s a good reminder to be grateful for any “buffers” we have in our lives, whether financial, social, or in terms of energy and health. These reserves of resources make it easier to deal with life’s occasional storms.
- Cold showers never get easier. I still dread the initial hit of cold water against my skin every single time. This dread never goes away. You just learn to accept it.
- Counterintuitively, ending a shower with cold water makes you feel warm once you’re out, while ending it with hot water makes you feel cold.
- The thrill eventually fades away. I remember the first time I took a cold shower I jumped out hyper energized. It was awesome. Today, that thrill is barely perceptible, unless I specifically seek it out (see the next point).
- One can anticipate the cold water in two ways: with a dread of displeasure, or with enthusiasm, a huge grin, and a “Let’s go!” attitude. The former makes the experience rather unpleasant. The latter transforms the discomfort into energy and gets the dopamine flowing. Yet another parallel with life: there are two ways to face adversity - with lackluster submission, or with brave enthusiasm.
- Cold water is not the same everywhere. The coldest water in my apartment building is nothing compared to the coldest water at my mom’s house in a village, and that water is nothing compared to the glacial shower water in the Alps. Really cold showers are much more pleasant and energizing than only slightly cold ones. Slightly cold showers are quite annoying, while really cold ones are a challenge and a thrill.
- As cold water hits you, it’s best to submit, exhale, and relax instead of resisting, holding your breath, and becoming stiff.
- You can practice different ways of facing adversity by facing cold showers with different intents. For example, sometimes I face cold showers with firm stoicism by telling myself to maintain a neutral expression, keep my motions deliberate and controlled, and my mind ignorant of any discomfort. Other times I practice focus and concentration under “pressure” by doing random math calculations on the hours and minutes my watch shows. Yet other times I silently scream and shake my head like a dog. You can have a lot of fun in one minute!
As I am writing this, I am reminded what an extreme privilege it is to be living in a world that is so comfortable that we sometimes deliberately seek out discomfort.
Lastly, a disclaimer is probably warranted: if you decide to try cold showers, check with your doc first or do some research. It’s not entirely without risk.
Have fun!
Thoughts or questions? I’m on Bluesky.