Cold water therapy and mental health: Dan's story
Back in the hustle and bustle of pre-pandemic life, the noise was masking how unhappy I’d become with my life. It wasn’t until lockdown in 2020 that it hit me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I knew I just didn’t feel right in myself. With a young family, I just knew in my heart I had to make a change, for them and for my mental health.
After a year of cold showers, a trip to Poland with Wim Hof and one dodgy chest freezer ice bath later, I knew the cold could help me. That’s why Brass Monkey was founded, from the need to conveniently access the deep cold to improve my own mental health.
Here’s three reasons I believe the cold has improved my mental health:
1. COLD THERAPY CREATES A PRACTICE.
Just like how some people show up to a gym each morning or place themselves on a yoga mat, for me my ritual is the cold. It’s something I can commit to and show up for every day. It’s safe to say it quickly became part of who I am and what I do! Cold showers were and are a great way to get started as you already have the daily shower drilled into your daily routine. Just show up and work on building up your time.
2. COLD THERAPY SPARKS A CHEMICAL REACTION.
Getting into the cold triggers a reaction within. The release of chemicals throughout my body all have a job to do. I receive motivation from dopamine, feel-good focus from norepinephrine and boost of energy from the production of mitochondria-making energy (ATP). The ever-emerging science behind cold water therapyis truly fascinating!
3. COLD THERAPY IS A GATEWAY TO WELLBEING.
For me personally, since starting my cold therapy journey back in 2018, I’ve been keen to learn more about the cold, the science behind all the benefits, how it ties into the Wim Hof Method, and more. You can just do cold showers and be done with it. However, you’ll probably find that it becomes much more than that. Once you start seeing the benefits, your mind starts to wonder why it works and what else you can do to boost your health and wellbeing. Who can blame us! We’re inquisitive creatures.
Don’t get me wrong, this is all great and definitely plays its part but what I noticed most was hidden in the daily practice; the mindset benefits of building resilience, confidence and conviction over time.
When you nail your body’s response to the cold, you’ll find that stress doesn’t affect you in the same way that it once did. When you tackle something difficult and very uncomfortable daily, you start to see yourself differently. You see a person who believes in themselves. This spills into your everyday life and that to me is the true measure of the practice.
