5 tips that helped me in my cold water therapy journey
8 months ago I started immersing myself in cold water, I spent a few months watching other people doing it and I always felt this really strong calling to get involved. Full disclosure I was one of those people who HATED the cold- I remember I went on a shoot once in the snow and I cried because my feet were cold - I was 25... I also experience anxiety around my health and after losing someone close to me very suddenly I had the fear about engaging in extreme things… and so I watched. I watched and I truly believed I couldn’t do it. “That’s not for you” my inner critic would say and I’d squash the desire I felt to join in.
If you know me well, you know that I have experienced anxious feelings for most of my adult life, if you know me really well, you’ll know that they are what fuel my ambition, there’s a part of me that’s terrified of everything and then there’s a part of me that wants to prove to that scared little girl that we CAN do hard things. And so one day I mustered up the courage and took the literal and metaphorical plunge!
8 months in - I’ve learned some really big lessons. Coldwater therapy isn’t one of those things that gets easier over time, in fact, I’d say that it gets harder. I ALWAYS have to talk myself into it but one of the biggest things it has taught me is how to face the things I don’t want to face in my everyday life. AND it reminds me that I AM STRONG. If I can walk into that freezing cold water (and believe me it is cold- even in the summer - did you know Loch Lomond only ever changes by 6 degrees in temp across the whole year?! It’s called a cold water loch for a reason!) then I can face the difficult conversations, I can say no to people-pleasing, I can assert my boundaries with love, I can offer compassion when I just want to throw a tantrum, I can take a deep breath and be gentle with myself and my loved ones and I can face the challenges of being a leader, a mum and business owner head-on.
Getting in is never easy. I have to psyche myself up EVERY SINGLE TIME. I’ve considered driving home too many times to count, but I know that when I meet that resistance is when I really need to overcome it. Some people practice breathing exercises, but for me it’s dance. I have a dance on the shore to warm up, put on some high vibe music and raise my frequency and then I’m off. Sometimes with delight, others with absolute terror but always with a fire in my belly and my mantra “I CAN do this”
When I get in the water, no matter how I’ve been feeling beforehand I immediately feel this immense sense of presence. Nothing quite pulls you into your body and out of your head like being surrounded by a freezing cold loch. There’s no option to ruminate or sweat the small stuff, you have to connect with your breath and you have to stay present. After the initial shock has worn off and I’ve connected with myself and the present moment, the next resounding feeling for me is of being held. Once you are in the water the blood rushes to your core to keep you warm and all of a sudden you are aware of the incredible presence of mama nature, both surrounding you and holding you. When I’m in that water I feel so deeply connected with the earth, something about literally immersing yourself in that powerful, expansive water is just pure magic.
And then I just breathe, I breathe and take in the beautiful space around me and I affirm to myself
I am strong
I am safe
I can do hard things
There’s always a moment when my flight response kicks in and I want to run out of the water but I turn the volume down on that by staying connected to myself and the beautiful expansive scenery around me, then suddenly I feel euphoric. That’s the only way to describe it. Like proper unicorns and shooting stars and bursts of glitter. And all the self-doubt is gone, in its place is self-belief, love, gratitude and compassion. For me it’s like a realignment, cutting out all the noise and focusing on what my heart wants and needs.
Lots of people ask me how I know when to get out. There are no hard and fast rules. The whole process is about connecting with yourself and so your body will tell you when. One thing I would say is to park your ego on the shore, you do not want to be competing with yourself or anyone else to stay in for x amount of time. To get the benefits of cold water therapy you only have to be in there for 3 minutes, anything after that is a bonus.
If you are planning on doing it always go with someone who knows what they are doing and get out sooner rather than later. After drop is a real thing and water is dangerous so you must respect her or she’ll teach you a hard lesson!
If you’re reading this thinking - get me in there, or actually especially if you’re thinking NO WAY then I’ve got some tips for you that I’ve learned over time:
Be prepared
Always take a kit bag with warm dry layers, a hot drink, a sugary snack in case your blood sugar drops, a well-charged phone, water shoes and gloves and a woolly hat. Know your surroundings and make sure you take the water seriously, Loch Lomond has some super steep drops so please, please look at satellite pictures beforehand and consider wearing a tug float or buoyancy aid to keep you safe.
Believe in yourself and own your power
Don’t tiptoe into that water, you’ll just run right back out. After a thorough warm-up, get your marching feet on and power into that beauty. Scream, shout, roar- let out your warrior cry and tell yourself you can do this. It’s not advisable to dive in until you’ve acclimatised as you could face cold water shock so find the sweet spot and commit to the process.
Breathe
It’s so tempting to hold your breath but doing this will initiate your flight response and tell your body you are in danger. Take long inhales and slow exhales. Think of blowing through your mouth like you’re blowing through a straw- if you’re a SLAM member this is our recovery breath. It works wonders. Your breath is your literal life force and we don’t use it to its full power. Believe in it and use it as your anchor.
Fall in love with the special bits
Don’t just do it for the gram, take it all in. Open your eyes and drink in the epicness of your surroundings, allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. I have screamed, cried, laughed and danced in that big beauty of a loch and she has always held me safe. We spend so much of our lives suppressing our emotions - let it all out, angels.
Do it with others
You don’t have to talk to each other (in fact I’d recommend you take at least a minute of quiet contemplation) but there’s safety in numbers. Go with people who know what they are doing and always let people know where you are. There is such magic in sharing this experience with other people, the energy is electric. There’s an amazing group on Facebook that you can join who meet regularly and have been instrumental in my initiation into cold water therapy.
Even if cold water therapy isn't for you - you can use these lessons in everyday life for those hard things that feel like a challenge.
Stay safe wonderful humans <3