Cold Comfort

Cold comfort commitments catalyze creative capacities, complimentary chemical cascades

& cultivates cognitive clarity.

Ariane and I have been connecting with the ocean for 17 days straight now. The change in our bodies and minds has been uplifting to experience. Pains are diminishing, mental fogs are clearing and greater vitality is emerging.

It’s easy to intellectualize the benefits of moderated cold exposure, but stepping up to the opportunity is a totally different journey. “knowledge is knowing, wisdom is doing” We decided to see what would shift with a consistent connection to this element. Finding comfort in the discomfort and stepping in while saying “Thank you”, and “I Accept” were definitely helpful at first, and still are. Now it’s getting easier to feel those two statements rather than just state them.

We are still at the quick full-body dip stage. Only today did we stay in for over two minutes. Up until now our bodies have been predominantly reactive, and now they are shifting into becoming responsive. Thankfully the first week the ocean was calm, as though encouraging and supporting our commitment. Now we have had a couple windy and wavy days to add some spice to the experience.

Maybe this will encourage you to meet the cold with a different perspective. Whether it’s standing outside in a t-shirt for a few seconds, ending or starting the shower with a few seconds of cold, or whatever else you can think of.

I’ve gained a lot over the years by meeting myself where I’m at, and then incrementally challenging the boundaries of those internal limitations. No need to go from zero to mach-chicken. Less is more in so many ways.

Here are a few of the opportunities that patiently await:

-Thermogenesis (brown fat synthesis). Recent studies have shown that you can rebuild your brown fat stores at any age. Brown creates heat for the body. Think of it as your internal furnace.

-Negative ion exchange. The negative ions that we receive from the Earth or live waters act as anti-inflammatories because they are in fact anti-oxidants due to the fact they donate electrons to the free-radicals and neutralize their reign of terror in the body (free radicals are often created by trauma to the tissues, refined sugars and chemical-laden foods).

-Mental Health. An opportunity to engage with and overcome a challenge in the day is beneficial for the psyche. That’s often one of the reasons to make your bed in the morning, because it allows you to start the day having the satisfaction of completing a task before you’ve even stepped out of the bedroom. The cold cultivates an ability to respond, rather than react.

-Systemic vaso-contriction & dilation (full body contrast therapy). It allows waste that has been lingering around in the nooks and crannies of our bodies to be abruptly evicted from their purgatory and channelled into the lymphatic system for elimination. This is why some people get sick after going from hot to cold (sauna/hot tub and snow or water), because if they are generally sedentary and/or have poor nutrition, all that stagnant junk that gets mobilized and tends to overwhelm the immune system.

-Presence. Nothing brings you to the present moment quite like a cold embrace Past and future do not exist

-Go from being reactive to responsive. The comfort seeking side of me had me reacting with aversion, and eventually that has given way to being able to respond with acceptance and gratitude. Find comfort in the discomfort and everything changes.

There’s so much more to share about it, but that seems like enough for now.

The journey continues