Cold Therapy as a Teacher
By Lucy Hancock
If you ask me, discomfort is a paradoxical phenomenon. While it’s an inevitable part of the human experience, in many cases we try to avoid it at all costs. Alternatively, sometimes a painful environment can become so familiar, that we continue to choose it (i.e., complacency), as if it was a preference. The fear and risk associated with change can be more overwhelming than the continuance of an uncomfortable state, simply because we know it well.
I find this interesting because it ultimately means discomfort can serve one of two purposes…
1. It can deepen a person’s tolerance for stagnation
2. It can become a launch pad for growth and transformation
Like you, I have experienced loss, transition, and endings, which thrusts us into the trenches of suffering. It manifests in many ways…I have felt the distress and loneliness from a broken heart. I have had crawling-out-of-my-skin cravings for chocolate when I was upset. I have experienced the strain of vulnerability that comes from an open-hearted conversation with my partner. I would deem all these instances “uncomfortable.” They aren’t life-threatening, they aren’t dangerous – but sometimes we treat healthy discomfort as a terminal experience. In doing so, and choosing the short-term, relieving option, we prevent ourselves from making choices that serve a more evolved, future version of ourselves.
This leads me to the profound, yet simple practice of actively moving through discomfort…cold exposure therapy. When we submerge our bodies into a tub of ice water, we experience what Dr. Alexis Shields calls ‘eustress’, or “good stress” to the body. Eustress helps your body to better adapt to bad stress, or ‘distress’ (caused by inadequate sleep, emotional stress, chronic disease, etc.). There is also a cascade of hormone, immune, and neurotransmitter effects that can have a positive impact on the body over time. (Dr. Alexis Shields) Dr. Mark Hyman describes cold plunges as a form of “hormesis” which is mild stress to the body that mimics adversity, but actually produces positive health benefits.
I first learned to embrace the cold through the infamous Wim Hof’s method; which transformed the way I experienced environmental stress. When you have a safe, controlled environment, you can introduce an extreme temperature (either hot or cold) to get acquainted with your nervous system. At first, your mind and body try to convince you that your life is being threatened. All your physiological responses say to get out of the cold as soon as possible. But soon, with time and practice, you can retrain your nervous system to regulate and stay calm, despite the extreme temperature.
Not only are there health benefits ranging from an enhanced immune system, improved sleep, fat loss, to overall brain function, but it also significantly impacts your well-being. The discomfort of the cold has taught me resiliency and tolerance for the “good stress”— stress that serves a purpose. And if I can trust my body to keep me safe amidst every alarm system going off, then I can learn to trust my ability to recover during uncomfortable life experiences. This inner reliance has aided in my own personal journey toward self-love and esteem.
The practice of cold therapy invites us into the noble space of discomfort as a vessel for growth. Overcome the external discomfort of the cold, and we become better prepared to face the burden of discomfort in our internal worlds.
Dr. Mark Hyman https://drhyman.com/blog/2021/01/01/podcast-minisode69/
Dr. Alexis Shields https://dralexisshields.com/cold-exposure
This guest blog post was written by Lucy Hancock. She is an Emotional Wellness Coach at Inward Inquiry. Her mission? To authentically accompany and invite meaningful dialogue and self-reflection, while honoring each client’s experience through a mind, body, spirit transformation.
Learn more about Lucy and what she does at inwardinquiry.com.
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