00:00When the summer started, I built the habit of showering in cold water. There ought to be a lot of health benefits with taking cold showers, but what I’m looking for is a safe and optional challenge to test my psychological resilience, which is the ability to mentally cope with tough times. So for the month of July, I’ve taken cold showers every day, to see what would happen. Instead of taking one long shower every day, as many cold shower experiments suggest, I decided to go for multiple daily showers. It turned out to be 2 to 5 daily showers, so about 100 showers in total this month. I gave myself the freedom to choose when to shower. The length of the showers ranged from a couple of to a fair few minutes. I rarely checked the temperature, but the average temperature was 15 degrees celsius.
01:00I’m mostly recording from my summerhouse, where I’m showering outside, so there is no way I’m gonna get warm water out of this... I didn’t accurately document the total amount of showers I had, nor the length of the showers. I almost regret that afterward, but the idea was to shower in cold water, and that’s what I did. Some people around me have asked me how I take these cold showers. The most honest answer is: I turn on the water. It’s not a joke. Maybe it was a bit funny, but it’s so true. There are very limited workarounds. You just have to face the challenge over and over again in order to get comfortable with it. To facilitate the process of exposing myself to cold temperature, I gradually took control of my breathing with relaxed deep breaths. To not make the experience worse, I also avoided thoughts like; This is ice cold.
02:00What am I doing? This is ice cold”. Instead, I tried to think; “Yeah, this is warm and comfortable. I like showering in hot water”. To clarify: The water did not magically turn warm, but a changed mindset towards the task surely helped me out. I took cold showers every day for 2 weeks, as preparation before July. I had also taken cold showers every now and then, since a year back, so I knew what to expect, but I haven't done it with this much consistency. 40 days in a row, and counting, I put myself through the pain and the pleasure of taking cold showers. Over time, I started to feel the benefits. Cold showers are said to boost your testosterone levels and improve your immune system, etcetera. I didn’t notice any of those health benefits. The most important benefit I noticed was my improved ability to make smaller everyday decisions.
03:00In my latest video about overthinking, I researched how cold showers are connected to decision making. I found out that cold showers release tension and reduce stress, both of which are triggers for anxiety. And anxiety could be driving your overthinking. We mostly avoid small tasks due to laziness. But with the upgraded discipline I built, and with the strengthened focus I found, I tick those minor tasks off my list like never before. I noticed some small, but significant benefits as well: If I’m feeling tired or lost, a cold shower will help me focus. To avoid short impulses and distractions, I hop into a cold shower. If my day is not going well, I can restart the day with a cold shower. I also want to mention that because the showers are so freezingly cold, there is no way I’m staying in the showers nearly as long as I used to when I showered with reasonable temperature, thus giving me more time for other activities, and keeping the electricity
04:00bill down to a minimum. Just like I suspected, taking cold showers is a great practice for building habits. It’s what I call a “just do it task”. There is no quick fix and there isn’t much you can do to facilitate the process. You just have to do it over and over again, until you reach that point where you just do the task. The same applies to getting up in the morning, working out, or any other habit. It’s the same discipline that is put to the tests, and I sure noticed a positive change in my attitude towards these types of tasks. Just do it. You’ll feel better afterward :). In my first cold showers, I just stayed in survival mode. I didn’t find much enjoyment in exposing myself to cold water, besides the sense of accomplishment once the shower was over.
05:00The showers got easier with time, to a point where it wasn’t much of a challenge anymore. I still feel a little resistance towards taking cold showers, but now I have learned to actually enjoy cold showers. Will I continue with this habit? Yes. Partly at least. I will mostly do what I call reversed James Bond showers. You may know about the so-called “James Bond shower”, where you start with warm water, progressing into a cold shower. I’m doing do the opposite of that: You start with cold water and make it into hot shower.
06:00A reversed James Bond shower is a better fit for me for a number of reasons: One; my shower is cold in the beginning anyway, and it takes some time to adjust the temperature. Two; I’m taking cold showers to reset my body, often in preparation for a difficult task, and I find it more relaxing to leave a warm shower. Three; I like being able to feel my fingers and toes. They tend to become numb after a while in cold showers. Overall, I surely enjoyed the first monthly experiment I documented. I showered in the morning, in the evening, during the day. I showered inside. I showered outside. I showered when it was really cold outside. I showered outside when it was raining. I even showered when I was supposed to be sleeping. That one was probably a bit stupid, but I don’t blame myself. I’m just trying to make memories for life.
07:00Can you do an impression of me? My brother being super-funny... ;) I had the Wim Hof method in the back of my mind, during my last cold showers. Wim Hof is a global health leader and a pioneer in science to name a few of his titles. He is also known as “The Ice Man”, so he knows what he is talking about. The Wim Hof method is about combining commitment with cold exposure and breathing techniques. Those 3 pillars are supposed to be the key to unlocking your full human potential or something like that. For the month of August, I’m trying the Wim Hof breathing method every day, while doing reversed James Bond showers every day as well. If you want to do further research on the topic of cold showers, I have linked my two favorite YouTube videos and my two favorite articles, in the description.
08:00However, the best thing you can do right now to explore cold showers would be to take one yourself. I dare you! If you're attempting this, you're playing with fire. When you are done, let me know how it went. Thanks for watching. This has been Domino Development, and why are you still here? You're supposed to ake a cold shower! Oh, you're waiting for the video to end. Well... Good luck, stay cool, and piece out! Can you name one more YouTuber who goes from having nothing but underwear to wearing a tie, in the same video? No? I guess we’re onto something then… Standing out from the crown can get you the crown. Piece out!