What I Learned From Taking Cold Showers Daily For 2 Years [practical Results]

[Gabriel Antonio]

@MarinM the trick is: you get totally outside of your comfort zone. then, during the rest of the day, you just relax... 

"do one thing everyday that scares you"

comfort might be useful, but we really transcend these concepts. 

even discomfort... at some point, you simply drop it. and start living haha. you go like, "why do I torture myself so much?" but this realization only came after I went through a lot of hardcore practices, like taking cold showers in the winter. 

[Girzo]

Cold showers doesn't impress me. I can just take them with almost no hesitation. Winter or summer, doesn't really matter. So if someone is reading this and doesn't get the hype, then don't worry, you are not the only one.

I have nothing against cold showers, I take them often, but it's not really that hardcore for many people.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Girzo

[CuteCornDog]

GREAT THREAD!

[Vitamine Water]

@Gabriel Antonio

UPDATE: 

Its been a week now since the Ice Age started for me. It already gets easier and easier I must say. The first day I just stood there hesitating for 3 minutes. Now, its relatively easy. 

Normally I would do a 15/20 minute hot shower session, now its 5. Ice cold. Fucking mountain water. Love it. The shock somehow gives relief (rip ego?)

My body also starts itching, right after I'm finished showering, just as @DoubleYou mentioned. Part of the deal I guess!

Tnx again my friend <3 

[Arkandeus]

this thread is no bullshit, cold showers is what helped me get out of my depression.
cold showers were like the build up of 50 percent of my energy.
during depression, there is an absolute void of energy and nothing is pleasing, nothing gives momentum.
cold showers stood out like a an enormous tower, cold showers were a tool of survival during my depression.
a day without a cold shower is nothing like a day with a cold shower.

cold showers are as important as meditation for me.
its an energizing ritual

Edited September 15, 2017 by Arkandeus

[Soulbass]

I think we creates the poison and the antidote.

If you think cold showers/no fap will work for you, then it will work.

I had very good sport performance or social skills after a day of depression/fap.

Sometimes I eat junk food and my stomach feel bad (because I felt guilty about eating junk food).

But when I eat junk food enjoying myself, it happened that my stomach doesn't feel bad.

I doesn't understand why, but it seems there is no rules.

I used to take cold showers when I was student (minimalist life-style) because I was in the mood for it.

You can have the same results in your life without taking cold showers : we'r creating our own realities.

A medium reads cards, because she/he can't handle directly seeing it "it's not me, it's the cards!".

Being aware of our creative power is hard to handle because it's huge, so we use subterfuges to justify our own lives.

In a more practical sense, I know cold shower is positive and I can benefit from it - but I know it's not necessary.

Even tho scientific evidence prove it, it doesn't prove anything to my system.

[Gabriel Antonio]

@Vitamine Water congratulations!

right now in Brazil, it is boiling, so cold showers don't really make sense. 

Hot showers is the challenge for me right now. 

Keep going! You will get extraordinary results.

Comfort is highly boring after a while >> Huge insight for living a fulfilling life. 

@Vitamine Water @DoubleYou

Chances are, it is part of the process. Just some things to keep in mind:

Itching = dry skin

Solution: essential oil (or you can use a moisturizer, which is less natural)

 

 

Btw - People, it is okay if you fail. You ain't came here to be perfect. You already are

Cold showers will help you build that beautiful momentum.

The trick is to always flow, no matter how hard it seems. 

 

1 hour ago, Arkandeus said:

cold showers are as important as meditation for me.

Amem to that!

Thanks for sharing your experience. There are hard days despite the cold showers, but they certainly help you light a fire? under your butt and start living life, like an energetic 8-year-old would. 

At other times, it feels good to just relax, just be. But for adults to get that good release and relaxation, we need to have a discomfort to purify ourselves. This includes so many activities. 

- Taking a yoga class

- Going out with someone

- Talking to a stranger

All of these activities make life rewarding. You go,

"I actually did something new today. I am 1% better. Yes!!" 

This is a sign you are growing. 

Growing makes you feel good in your body and mind.

 

Thanks for the awesome feedback, guys! 

[Gabriel Antonio]

@Soulbass awesome perspective!!!

[Gabriel Antonio]

@brovakhiin 3-5 minutes

The important thing, though, is the initial schock ?

So as long as you wash your whole body, you're good.

[DoubleYou]

I actually enjoyed it today. That was unexpected.

[Gabriel Antonio]

@DoubleYou GOOD! You are beginning to appreciate getting uncomfortable. 

Life feels amazing when you embrace discomfort.

 

>>> All progress is made outside the comfort zone <<<

>>> Growth is painful <<<

>>> Struggling makes you grow <<<

 

???

[BjarkeT]

i am sorry if i am rude and i might be wrong but isn't this sort of working at the problem at a superficial level rather than dig deep and finding the root cause of the problem?  or could you say its a way to gain the courage to work on it at a deep level?

 

[sgn]

On 2017-09-08 at 5:33 PM, Gabriel Antonio said:

I guesstimate cold showers alone removed 80% of my emotional BS. 

Good thread.

But haven't you done other things in personal development past 2 years so there's a chance you overestimate how much the cold showers have actually done for you?

My excuse is that I seem to be a "cold person" (lol). I'm often freezing when I wake up already and when I'm outside I'm often freezing depending on the weather when others don't.
When I was younger and was out in cold weather I could get rash on my face and my fingers would swoll up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_urticaria
But haven't experienced this for many years now I think.

 

Edited September 20, 2017 by sgn

[B Clear]

I did it this morn and OMG it was so uncomfortable, I could barely stay under, but I'm going to keep at it. Thank you for the awesome post!

[caelanb]

One other good strategy is to start with hot to open the pores and relax the muscles, then before you get out, turn the water to cold for 1-2 minutes to make yourself alert and so the pores can close again. Kinda like getting the best of both world, but then you can play around with the length of time for cold vs hot.

[Gabriel Antonio]

13 hours ago, sgn said:

But haven't you done other things in personal development past 2 years so there's a chance you overestimate how much the cold showers have actually done for you?

I have obviously done other things hehe. Cold showers are not a magical solution, please, I hope you know that. Cold showers help you build momentum. Because seriously it is very hard to stay in bed all day if you have summoned the courage to actually jump into that beautiful cold shower.

I think my main mistake in the last 3 years I have been doing self-development was to commit to too many practices. That was caused lots of backsliding. Commit to just one thing and make it just a small dose. Cold showers are perfect for that. You just worry about self-development per se once a day for 3 minutes, which actually requires like 3 seconds of courage. If you sum those 3 seconds in 20 years, imagine how much developed you can become. BIG PICTURE THINKER!

 

13 hours ago, B Clear said:

I could barely stay under, but I'm going to keep at it.

One thing that really helps is to SHAKE YOUR BODY REAL HARD. And BREATHE DEEPLY like your life depended on it haha.

 

10 hours ago, caelanb said:

cold vs hot.

I have been experimenting with cold and hot. It is an amazing practice! It teaches you not to cling to the hot but at the same not get attached to the uncomfortable because the thing is:

pleasure is not the problem; the problem is clinging.

so if you alternate between cold and hot, you are really fucking your ego in the ass Hahahaha.

 

Thank you for the awesome feedback guys =D

Edited September 20, 2017 by Gabriel Antonio

[smd]

What if you have a cold?   I've found my lungs get wheezy after a cold shower, so I haven't tried it in a long time.

[eskwire]

On 9/9/2017 at 5:04 PM, Captain Flint said:

@Gabriel Antonio Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

1. What do you think about contrast showers? Like: hot -> a bit cold -> warm -> very cold -> warmer -> most cold you can get from your shower. 
2. About your technique - were you allowed to take warm shower immediatly AFTER cold shower? Or it kind of ruins whole story?

I'm afraid I already know your awnser: "just jump in 100% cold, and jump out into towel"...
I just won't survive that, LOL.

It's really not that bad or that big of a deal. People talk about it like you're jumping out of a plane into the sea.

My first one was exhilarating and I felt an incredible reduction in inflammation in my head. Something I had longed for - I struggle with inflammation due to allergies to Earth. After taking a few dozen, it's not anything I flinch about except......

It is absolutely true that your back is the most shocking part and I have been wondering why! @Gabriel Antonio Do you know?

[Gabriel Antonio]

@eskwire perhaps because the back is the hottest part 

 

People, cold showers are not 5-MeO, okay? No magic pills here. Just some good old-fashioned, highly masculine and intense self-development practice.

As you may guess, this is not the end of the story. There is a beautiful thing called emotions. Haha, you will not get away from that, Little Ego... Hahaha. The one who always run away from feeling rather than accomplishing.

Spiritual practices are not a gateway for not feeling emotions. It is instead a way of strengthening your will-power muscle in a straight-forward way. No bullshit here. This is a practice to become a disciplined dog. Okay? You will not become a Human Being because of it. Hahaha. Sorry to break it to you Hahahahaha. 

 

[Visionary]

@Gabriel Antonio

Thank you very much my bro. Too bad my f*cking shower can't go that cold to numb my skin. But it still is a (little) challenge every morning. You're a very wise dude, was shocked to find out you were only 21. Keep up the good work.

P.S. you look a bit like Luis Suarez the football player