Cold Showers
Just last week I added something new to my morning routine that I’m starting to learn to love- cold showers. Now if you’re informed on the benefits of cold showers, great! If not, give it a google. Here’s what I’ve found so far..
Mental Strength
Before I hop into that shower, my mind tries to think of any excuse possible to not turn that knob towards the C on the dial. It’s an interesting conversation that I have with myself in my head between two opposing thoughts. A part of me begs for heat, another part of me knows how beneficial a cold shower is. So for 4 out of 7 mornings of the week, I fight desire with reason- which can be extremely difficult, but rewarding.
Deep & Controlled Breathing
As the ice cold water pours over my head, it becomes tough to breath at first! It takes a couple seconds for my mind to realize I need to make a conscious effort to take deep breaths throughout this cleansing process in the shower. I’ve found these mindful deep breaths in the morning really help synchronize my mind and body, which doesn’t happen very often throughout the day unless I’m at the gym or practicing yoga.
Blood Circulation
Contrary to common thought, once I dry myself- I’m not cold at all! As a matter of fact, I feel warmer than I would’ve felt if I were to take a hot shower that day. This is a sign to me that these cold showers are a great way to kick start my body and get the blood flowing bright and early. And might I add that I’ve also noticed my skin to be glowing on days I cold shower. I’d imagine this would be a result of the rapid increase in blood flow right out of bed, spiking blood circulation in my skin for that extra oomph.
It doesn’t End here
I’ve only started taking cold showers this past week and have noticed all of these beneficial effects. It excites me to know that there are even more benefits down the road when I continue to take cold showers 4 out of 7 days of the week.
The Water Crisis
Now in light of the less-spoken water crisis that the world is experiencing, with a blog about the benefits of cold showering it wouldn’t be right to not address the issue. Water can be so simple of a need for some of us that it becomes a want. But for many, especially for families in Africa, this isn’t the case. Every single day, women around the world spend hours of their time daily to walk miles in order to collect water for their families. Water.org is an organization dedicating it’s time and finances to changing this. With innovation, creativity, and a simplistic approach water.org is leading the charge to fighting the Global Water Crisis. Unfortunately in the more developed parts of the world, this crisis is often ignored. News coverage seems to care more about what President Trump had for breakfast rather than the fact that there are families in the world who simply don’t have access to clean water. And so it’s important for people like myself, an upcoming professional to spread word on the crisis at hand so that those with the resources can take action. I understand the fortunate circumstance that I so luckily live in. I am ever so grateful and take nothing in life for granted. I hope, I really, really hope that one day I find myself in a situation where I’ve developed the skills and resources to help fight the Global Water Crisis, if the fight has not yet already been won.
Spread love. It’s your way of resonating through people to reach the world-
Nilan