Cold Water Exposure | Hormesis

Why I hate it but still do it anyway

I recently wrote a note a that got a reasonable amount of engagement (for me) and I wanted to expand on it a little.

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The act of putting your body under a temporary and controlled state of stress is called hormesis. In Layman’s terms, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

I started experimenting with cold water showers during the pandemic. I was dealing with my mothers terminal cancer diagnosis, spending a lot of time indoors, isolated from friends and family whilst awaiting the imminent arrival of our first daughter. I started to notice I was struggling with low-mood. We were quiet at work for a number of months so I spent time listening to a lot of health-based podcasts online. Cold water exposure seemed to come up a lot during this time so I thought I’d give it a go. The list of benefits are extensive:

• Improved circulation

• Reduces inflammation

• Mood boost

• Increased resilience

• Enhanced immune response

• Better muscle recovery

• Improved metabolic function

• Improved skin and hair health

• Sharper focus and alertness

and the best thing about it is, it’s free!

So all of these benefits aside, to me this practice has evolved into more of a battle of wills. I hate doing it. I genuinely do but I won’t let it defeat me. In a world where we’re only ever a foot away from arguably the most addictive thing to exist on planet earth, willpower counts for something. I personally have to put certain measures in place to reduce my social media use for example - I’m sure many others suffer with the same compulsions to pick up the phone during a momentary feeling of boredom. So, I see the cold water as a test of my own willpower.

An important caveat

If you’re going through a particularly difficult time, for whatever reason, cold water exposure can exacerbate certain symptoms and I have personal experience of this. Some time after I’d lost my mother, my body/nervous system was still stuck in a sympathetic state, i.e. “fight or flight”. The constant state of panic in which I’d existed as Mum’s carer stuck with me for a couple of years after her death. There’s a fine line here and it may be more down to feeling more than anything else but I got to a point where the adrenaline boost from the exposure was tipping me into an even more exaggerated, heightened state.

So, whilst I was living through the trauma of watching my mother decline day after day, the cold water was grounding for me. It would jolt my mood in a positive direction and wake me up after what was invariably another poor nights sleep. Once the “threat” of her dying had passed and I was more “in recovery” from the experience, I noticed the cold water was almost prolonging the internal, frantic state. I took a break of a few months and did lots of meditation and breathing techniques to stabilise the nervous system. Once I felt in a better place I reintroduced the cold showers and began feeling the benefits again. Simply put, always listen to the body.

Other examples of hormesis include heat exposure (sauna), fasting, sunlight, certain breathwork practices, even emotional stress such as public speaking or moderate risk taking can strength emotional regulation. I look forward to diving a little deeper on these individual subjects going forward.

With love, 
Waylon

If this piece touched you or sparked something, please reach out directly. I’d love to talk.