On the 1st of April 2017, I started my cold water bath journey. I had been reading about the cold water therapy and its benefits weeks before this date and I was taken by its praises. Ordinarily, bathing with cold water wasn’t my thing. Who on earth gives up the comfort of a warm bath for cold spanking?

As I read about bathing with cold water, I imagined taking up this gruesome challenge. For me, it wasn’t for the benefits. No. It was to build a step to mount on. Something to refer to. A referencing point of a thing.

You see, I need someone or something to lean on when facing a challenge to prove myself worthy of facing my fear. For instance, for me to stay focus I need something to convince me of my past achievement. To stay glued to my exercise regiment, I make reference to my past challenges and how I stayed strong through it all. A boost.

My Cold Water Experience

As I stepped in the bath that cold April morning I knew this task wasn’t going to be easy. I started off with a warm bath, I reassured myself of the easiness of the task ahead, then I gradually cooled off with cold water. The cold splash sent a shocked through me and I hyperventilated. My breathing was in sharp grasp, I wanted the direct spang of the cold water to stop. It was torture to every nerve in my body but I endured.

However, there was something I realised immediately after stepping out of the bath. The alertness I felt was incomparable to what I usually feel. The adrenaline rushed through me and I felt accomplished.

Although you might not see the correlation between my cold water bath to conquering fear and facing challenges. I know and believe that this challenge has proven to be useful to me. Waking up every day and dreading the cold bath gives me a never-say-never approach to every aspect of my life. To bath in cold water, you need courage and determination, the same surge you need to face fear.

My Learning Curve

There is something I learnt that works for me. I make reference to my past challenges to pass through any hardship I am facing. For instance, if I am faced with hunger, I would gather strength from the time I observed fast and outlived the hunger. In other words, challenges of the past are useful for me, they are references to future fear.

I am not sure if the cold water bath had benefited me the areas it promised. Cold bath supposed benefit includes improved immunity and circulation, stress relief, better mood and relief of soreness and body pain. Many swear of its ability to give some kind of anaesthetic-like effects for pain relief.

The truth is I don’t know if it has benefited me much, but I can’t ignore the strength I muster from this daily experience. If nothing at all, the ability to face the fear of cold water gives me the courage to face other types of fears in my life.

Face Your Fear. Take Up A Challenge.

You don’t necessarily need to take up a dumb challenge just to prove yourself right, but I think it would be beneficial to show self-worthiness to certain challenges. Taking a baby step approach to simple challenges does strengthen your muscle for big ones. Remember that saying? A thousand miles starts with a step?

There are many little challenges to pick up. You might want to start waking up early or try intermittent fasting to improve your overall health. Exercising might be something you need to work on. You can start a nature walk, gardening or volunteering with the local. Reading, writing or spiritual connection might be an easier challenge for you.

So, don’t just aim to achieve, have something to refer to in other to make the journey smooth and achievable. Whatever it is you want to achieve, start small and edge to the hilly ground. Start now!

Look back to past achievements, celebrate little achievements and aim for more. These would be your reference points.