I have been doing cold exposure therapy for a few years now. I will share my experience and research in this article. I am not a professional cold therapy practitioner in any way. I am a person seeking new experiences and modalities to manage and regulate my nervous system, and feel good. I find it to be invigorating and that feeling seems to last for days. This seems to be a very positive outcome for my overall health and wellbeing.   

The Ways I Experience Cold Exposure Therapy

There are many ways to experience cold exposure. One method is an ice bath, made popular by the breathing technique introduced by Wim Hoff. To experience this you sit in a tub filled with ice. Remember the ALS ice bucket challenge of 2014? Imagine sitting in the bucket either alone or with others for a period of time, usually about two full minutes. That’s the ice bath. I have experienced two group ice bath experiences. One in a pool of people and another in a tub or trough by myself. In...

“Building Resilience” is a popular term in the self help world. 

I didn’t have a full understanding of what resiliency meant until COVID-19 happened, and social distancing was put in place. 

You see, I’ve spent the past 2+ years building my resilience, by getting sober. 

I basically trained for this. 

I replaced drinking with new coping skills. 

I put routines in place that strengthened my mental health. 

I learned to care for my body by what I eat and how I move. 

I listen to myself to tell me what I need, especially, in times of stress.

Building my resiliency looked like this:

Anxiety = walk with dog around the block/yoga 

Angry = journal/ loud music in headphones/fast run. 

Sad = cry/read

Irritable = alone time at gym/clean kitchen/donate stuff

Bored = coffee with friend/puzzle

Lonely = tell someone/letters to Grandma/volunteer

I pay attention to myself when things feel wonky, triggery, or a little off. 

I...