How (Really) Cold Water Helps Me Live More Peacefully

Five years ago I started taking cold showers everyday. Every morning for the past two years I have gotten into the coldest water that was available to me. Most of the time this was the ocean, but recently it has been a small creek behind my family's house.

Once, when I was getting out of the ocean around sunrise in February, someone walking on the beach looked at me and said, "You're so brave." I disagree.

Immersing myself in cold water has never been about courage or toughness for me. It is about acceptance and letting go. If I can release the reflexive contraction that automatically kicks in when my feet touch cold water and breathe slowly and gently, then I can just experience the sensations of being in cold water.

This is why it is such a great visceral metaphor for life. The water is cold whether I yelp and tighten my body or not. Life can be hard - tensing up and resisting it doesn't make it any easier or make the outcome any better.

And getting in cold water showed me something else. My body adapted. I started to feel my skin tighten as my body prepared to keep blood flow from going to the surface. I got to the point where I could float in 45 degree water for quite a while. When I got out, I could stand in 30 degree air without toweling off and not shiver.

This is not self-improvement. This is letting my body and mind do what they are capable of doing. Humans are built to grow and thrive, and sometimes we simply need to get out of our own way.

There is a lot written about grit, determination, and perseverance. These things can all be helpful. But, it is often acceptance that allows us to adapt in profound ways.