Grateful for Water
My husband, Charles, began doing cold plunges over a year ago. He would have me drive him to a nearby pond and, in full view of a busy roadway and the occasional disbelieving fisherman, strip down to a speedo and wade in. In January. In New England. I thought his fortitude and commitment was sexy, but I was in no way interested in joining him. Health benefits my warm butt.
Then he invested in a cold plunge tub and stuck it in our basement near to a portable sauna and, suddenly, husbandly cockamamie started to seem positively spa-like. Wife was intrigued. I had been swimming all summer in non-Caribbean waters, after all. Also, Charles has no bodyfat. So how hard could it be for me? Then my eight year old son threw down and started plunging alongside dad. I had to try.
The first dip was shocking. Cold hurts, y’all. Little daggers all over your skin. But seriously? Childbirth was orders of magnitude more intense. And lasted waaayy longer. After two minutes, I was kind of disappointed that it was over. Not in an “I’m staying in” kind of way. More like, “Hold on, I’m tougher than that.” It stoked my desire to challenge myself. I am woman; watch me freeze.
Since then, I’ve been plunging almost every day. I go in the morning before I can talk myself out of it. And I use the time to say my gratitudes, starting firstly with the water. Thank you for building my natural immunity. Thank you for flushing my blood and lymph and lungs. Thank you for regulating my blood sugar. Thank you for challenging me and making me stronger.
The thing is, it has been making me stronger! I can especially feel it in my ability to perceive and maintain boundaries, something I see as a subset of what TCM doctors call wei qi. Acupuncturists often compare wei qi to the innate immune system, or at least, natural immunity, but I prefer the traditional description of it as the qi that courses just beneath skin. By putting attention there, the cold by extension fortifies what I say yes and no to, what I want to allow, what I want to create. It’s downright life-affirming. Brr!
Love,
Stella
Loved this. I have been doing daily cold showers for a while and it helps quite miraculously with depression. But now you're making me want to get one of those tubs - it sounds more pleasant (although maybe that's the wrong word, lol). Wild water is the best, but last time I was so cold it was hard to get my clothes back on, so I'm a little scared to try again.
This: "I am woman; watch me freeze" I am so freaking inspired by you and the other amazing women who are curious and participating in this cold plunging thing. It feels so masculine; I felt like it wasn't my realm to indulge in. But alas, I have been taking cold showers for a couple years now and I find it extremely healing. Every time I step into that blast of cold water my mantra has been, "I am the decider of this. I am choosing this." So empowering.