I slowly grasped the handle and once again, all alarms go off simultaneously in my mind and I think: ‘why do I keep doing this to myself?’

But I knew I had to do it.

It sucks.

But I knew no matter what, I must do it.

So I held my breath, turned up the handle, and immediately feel a thunderbolt of sensations seize my body.

I clenched my fists and endured as every cell in my body screamed in unison.

I started hyperventilating and counted to 10 between breaths.

And before I knew it, I started to relax.

And I was engulfed by a wave of soothing peace.

I felt re-energized, revitalized and reinvigorated.

And I knew deep inside, I was going to have a good day.

Do you know what I just took?

I just took… a cold shower.

And for the last 120 days straight, I’ve been taking cold showers every morning.

If you grew up in the countryside or a rural area, you might think ‘Cold showers? What’s the big deal? I’ve been taking cold showers all my life.’

Well for us pampered city folk, it is a big deal.

Because we get to enjoy the luxury of a water heater.

So why on earth would someone in the right mind, voluntarily subject themselves to cold water torture every single morning?

The Physical Benefits Of Cold Showers

If you go online, you’ll realize there are tons of research to support why cold showers make you healthier.

For one, cold showers make you happier.

Cold showers, if you take them regularly, can relieve symptoms of depression by stimulating a part of the brain that releases noradrenaline, a chemical which helps to reduce the effects of depression and anxiety.

Which is way better than taking anti-depressants.

Cold showers also have a way of making you feel alert, refreshed and ready after you have them.

The other one that I really like is that cold showers strengthen your immune system.

Studies have shown that when you subject your body to cold water, your body naturally develops more white blood cells to help you adapt to the cold and protect your body from sickness.

Cold showers can also make you look younger.

Because hot water has the tendency to dry the skin, cold water helps to tighten pores and seal them, preventing dirt from clogging them.

Cold showers can also flatten the hair follicles and make your hair appear stronger and shinier.

Cold showers have also known to help in fat loss, improve circulation and speed up muscle recovery.

But despite the many physical benefits of cold showers, they’re not the reason why I take them.

What I really love is the philosophy behind them.

The Philosophy Behind Cold Showers

When we shower in the morning, it comes very naturally for us to bathe with warm water.

Because we’re used to it.

It feels good because we’re in our comfort zone.

But what we don’t realize is, when we keep choosing to do things that are comfortable and avoid doing things that are uncomfortable – we get soft. 

When there are challenges throughout the day, we procrastinate.

We turn away from what is hard because we’re so used to doing what is easy.

We take the path of least resistance.

But the thing is when you deliberately choose to take a cold shower – you’re training yourself to override that tendency to take the path of least resistance.

You acknowledge that while the first few seconds can be painful – your body adapts to the temperature after a while.

And that’s life.

When you do something uncomfortable, it sucks – but only temporarily. Because you get used to it.

So cold showers are like a metaphor of life.

You know it’s going to be hard, but you know that each time you do, you toughen yourself up.

Imagine what happens when you keep practising that over and over again, first thing in the morning.

You prime your brain to get used to the little discomforts so that when you do face the bigger discomforts in life, you’re ready to face them head-on.

By consistently choosing to do the things we avoid, we develop a form of resilience – mental toughness – to help us deal with what is difficult and make good decisions.

When you take a cold shower in the morning every day, you’re making a statement.

You’re preparing your mind and body to accept and face the ‘cold, harsh realities’ of life before they take you unawares.

And it’s a great reminder that if we don’t consciously prepare ourselves for unexpected difficulties, we sink further and further into our comfort zone.

Which does nothing but to keep us living in mediocrity.

As the Stoic philosopher Seneca mentioned: ‘It is not that things are difficult, that we don’t dare. It is because we do not dare that things become difficult.’

Start taking cold showers every morning.