Cold Showers...
Would You Shiver?
Cold Showers… Would You Shiver?
Cold exposure has had its moments in both the wellness and mindset arenas over the years. I started taking cold showers without really knowing why, just that they were “good for you”. Thirty seconds at the end of my shower felt miserably uncomfortable, and at first… I didn’t keep up with it.
But I kept hearing about it, so I kept listening, and I realized…
Cold showers (rinses and plunges too) offer two major benefits: they boost metabolism over time and build mental resilience.
I noticed something interesting: every article or podcast I heard only mentioned one benefit at a time. Metabolism OR resilience. It made me wonder - if there are two seemingly different benefits, do we get to choose which one we train?
When your body is exposed to cold, shivering is natural. Over time, your fat cells start beiging and becoming more thermodynamically active - metabolism rises, energy is burned.
But by resisting the urge to shiver, you train your stress response. You control your breathing and heart rate, stimulate your vagus nerve, and strengthen your tolerance for discomfort. You build resilience - a mental adaptation.
You can’t fully decide which benefit you get, but you can influence whether the focus is more on body or mind. Do you let yourself shiver… or do you resist?
At first, you’ll likely shiver! Cold exposure isn’t an easy habit to build - it takes baby steps and consistency.
Start with a timer. Turn the water cold at the end of your shower, even if it’s just 5 seconds. Repeat daily. Add time gradually.
Eventually, something shifts. You tolerate it. Then you welcome it. Then… you kind of need it!
And that’s where the real insight lives:
Cold showers aren’t really about the cold.
They’re about the feedback loop between mind and body.
Train the body → the mind adapts.
Train the mind → the body follows.
The two are inseparable. Habits compound in both directions. You don’t actually have to choose between body and mind.
Now I embrace the cold at the end of each shower. Not as a biohack, but as an act of self-care.
To endure for the long haul. To bounce back when life hits hard. To (hopefully) resist burnout and live past 100.
These few minutes each day matter. They’re an investment in both your present and future self.
Tomorrow morning, will you shiver?
The feedback loop concept is intriguing. Back when I had high blood pressure I used a Respirate device that works by progressively lessening breaths per minute. This relaxes the blood vessels which lowers the pressure. I don't have hypertension anymore but I still use the device every now and then. It can de-stress you absolutely.
It's so true that all a life is is a series of habits put together. Those habits are the foundations upon which our life is built and they need to be strong to withstand the ebb and flow of modern living. It is so true that resilience is so needed, in order that we are not sucked under when a big wave comes. It's true that it would be better if we could avoid such life lessons. However, it just doesn't work like that. So, if a little freeze in the mornings helps you to overcome the gaunlet of life, then, let the icey water flow.....