If you’ve followed along on my social media, @ms.amber.elle you may have noticed that I decided back in the fall to challenge myself each month in 2022 with new exposure that would help to build and increase my resilience in a variety of ways, and hopefully inspire everyone watching in the practices of discipline and to never shy away from being a student. In the process, I wanted to study the science, history, and social responses to each challenge I would undertake. I showcase as much of the process as I can on Instagram through stories and posts, and people seemed engaged in watching it all transpire. I also choose a nonfiction book each month to accompany the challenge, and even if people following along didn’t fully immerse themselves in the challenge itself, they did enjoy reading more about the topic and listening to my own results.
January and Cold Water
In January I decided to dive right in (literally) and get uncomfortable in one of the worst ways. I embarked on 31 days of cold water exposure-in a sense the Wim Hof method- named after the Dutch “Iceman” of our generation. I personally despise the cold, and the Fieldcraft team knows it-and I’ll steal a jacket from a chivalrous coworker in a heartbeat. I didn’t give myself too much time to think about what those 31 days would feel like in the light of reality, and the holidays kept me pretty busy, but by the time New Year’s Day rolled around, I was both excited to get started and curious as to why I ever subjected myself to THIRTY-ONE days of this practice.
The Plunges
Finding new and exciting places to go for a plunge added some extra adventure into the month, and really worked to build my resilience in ways that I didn’t foresee. Simply walking into a plunge barrel prepared and ready for your dip felt different than actively seeking a way to really elevate the discomfort and tug on my own adaptability and determination. It wasn’t going to just happen, I had to make it happen. Over the course of the 31 days, I exposed my body to cold water in an ice-filled horse trough, in the falling snow being sprayed by a water hose, in the shower (my least favorite), in my own swimming pool (I bought a thermometer out of curiosity and the temperature usually sat somewhere around 50 degrees), in a 32-degree reservoir in Utah, and in various other swimming pools wherever I happened to be staying.
The Logistics
Coldwater plunges are touted to cause a dopamine response in the body, which, like serotonin, leave the mind and body feeling positive and content. It also invigorates and releases a surge of energy so I found that the best way for me to embrace the cold was to use it to my advantage. Utilizing an energy surge to catapult my day was the best strategy-my work and life with my children could benefit from the tactical advantage of a well-planned plunge versus chasing the plunge all day. I’ll be honest, many days I waited until the sun had set to get into the pool or expose myself to a cold shower, and while I felt proud that I had followed through on the commitment, however, my ideal format for the challenge was when my day began with the plunge, and enforcing that level of commitment began to show itself as a way for me to elevate the level of discipline once the act of getting into the water became easier.
But, Why?
This question was posed more often than not over the 31 days, and people-often hearing mixed feedback from the medical community and online forums about the benefit, ignorance, or dangers of a polar plunge just wanted to know why. Why would I subject my body-why would anyone subject their body to cold water?
The answer is multi-faceted, but let me just begin by saying that if you want a jump start of building resilience-plunging your body into cold water, feeling your body’s uncontrollable physiological response to the effects, and then breathing through it, forcing yourself through it, tolerating it, then thriving in it is an incredible way in which to do so. To prove to yourself that your body wanted one thing but your mind willed it to do another becomes proof of your power. It is a significant reminder that if you can just breathe through something-you give your circumstances a chance to change, and you controlled the one thing within your power in the process yourself.
Studies have revealed that the controlled stress response also helps increase your body’s response mechanisms to problematic pathogens, positively affecting your immunity. There are also increased benefits for better sleep, a boosted metabolism, more efficient recovery from the effects of physical fitness on the body. I find the testimonies from individuals suffering from autoimmune flares and issues that receive relief to be wildly fascinating, and while I don’t suffer from any known autoimmune issues myself, I love the idea that there are resources to emulate and suggest to those that do.
Favorite Takeaway
I loved how strong I felt after tackling the cold water, truly. It didn’t matter what events of the prior evening or morning presented themselves to me. If I stepped into the water feeling weak, defeated, or momentarily incapable I always walked out feeling in control. The feeling of panic that floods the body when the cold hits your skin pulls the mind in every possible direction, but breathing through the response, using sheer will and grit to control the breath, which in turn controls the body gives you such a sense of accomplishment and fortitude. It’s been a lesson I’ve brought into so many different facets of my life: If something feels one way, take a few deep and controlled breaths, it probably won’t feel the same way when you’re done. When you can prove to your mind and body that the difference between panic and control is a matter of minutes-sometimes seconds, and intentional breathing, you can tackle so many of life’s trials when you’ve learned to first manage your own mind. The cold is righteous, in every sense of the word.
I loved that I found myself pushing myself longer and longer to manage the cold. I loved getting out of the water and feeling my body self-regulating. I loved the energy surges that I experienced and the gusto to take on the day after starting my mornings with the cold, and above all else, I loved watching my children watch me and cheer me diligently counting the time passing in their little heads, taking cold dips themselves, and telling all of their friends how brave their mama was for getting into the cold day after day.
Least Favorite Takeaways
Listen, I still don’t crave the cold. I crave the effects of the cold, but not the cold. By the end of the month, I still had to convince my body to get into the water because it was what was good for me. Like that well-to-do mother still trying to convince her toddler that broccoli isn’t torture, but a tool to help them thrive nutritionally- my “tastebuds” still never wanted that cold water. But I did it anyway, and when I found myself feeling shame for not being that person who could say “The cold doesn’t even bother me anymore”, I found peace and strength in being able to say “The cold is painful, but I pushed through”.
What’s Next?
The lingering question: Will I continue the cold water? I did continue them into February and found that committing to 3 days a week worked well. I continue to use the pool while the weather is still cool, but as the warm spring days arrive I plan to switch to an ice barrel. I’m avoiding the shower at all costs but will utilize it when necessary. I also have filled the tub with cold tap water to do an indoor submersion a few times. I do start every morning with a cold water splash onto the face to activate the vagus nerve even if I’m doing an entire body submersion, simply to aid in initiating that proper hormone production from the kidneys.
I’m still really satisfied with the resilience built during the month of cold water, and although it seemed a little intense to jump right into that challenge at the start of the year, it was an altogether great experience and I loved sharing it with those following along via our social channels online.
You can follow along for all of the future month’s challenges over on Instagram @ms.amber.elle. Come over and share your favorite ways to build resilience! Until then, may the cold be ever in your favor.