How to Overcome the Mental Block of Cold Showers

How to Overcome the Mental Block of Cold Showers

Deliberate cold exposure increases dopamine and epinephrine (which improves motivation and focus), elevates mood, and increases mental resilience/grit. - AH

What a tool! If only it was less difficult/convenient. Andrew avoids it. I avoid it. Maybe you avoid it (or just forget). How we can all overcome this?

First, if you are scared of the cold, there's good news. A huge benefit comes from facing the resistance. So if you're not a regular, that's great! It means you get more bang for your buck. If you are cold adapted, you still get benefits (but less potent).

Thankfully, Andrew gamified this protocol. Here it is:

Divide your exposure into levels and get a point for each level you beat. Each level is like a mental wall you don't want to cross. So dividing it makes it easier to overcome.

Level 1: Think about the cold water.
Level 2: Put cold on your hand.
Level 3: Do 20 seconds in warm water
Level 4: Switch to cold
and so on..

Every time you break a level, you get a surge in those healthy neuromodulators. And, therefore, feel more motivated to continue.

Ideally, you reach "level 10", staying in the for 3-5 minutes. But we're not there yet.

For now, aim to reach level 5: Do a cold shower for 30 seconds. Start by breaking 1 wall and progressing upward. Or just go directly.

This means that, after a single engagement, you get more mental clarity, more energy, less depression, less attachment to addictions, less agitation from stress, and the list goes on.

Neither of us are going to go jump in an ice bath in the next 2 seconds. But there's a full weekend ahead with no other tools. You could do it after a workout, a regular shower, or before going out in the morning. Here is Andrew's article with all the dos and don'ts.

Anyway, if you wanted to this for a while or just haven't lately, it's a fun little challenge. Just the act of saying you'll do something makes you 60% more likely to do it. Press the button below to commit. Don't worry, you won't be added to anything.

p.s. this actually counts as breaking wall number #1 😌