Mental benefits of cold therapy
Cold therapy brings many benefits on a physical level and is one of the best biohacks for improving immunity, losing weight and regenerating muscles. However, physical benefits are only one part. If handled in the right way, exposure to the cold has impressive effects on the mental side of life as well.
Increases self-confidence and self-esteem
Each of us faces some level of insecurity, disappointment, and doubt in our own abilities in life. Everyone usually finds ways to cope with these feelings, but the cold is a great helper to improve self-esteem and confidence. Just diving into ice water takes a considerable amount of courage and inner strength. The discomfort of extreme cold can teach us many things about ourselves. For example, the fact that resilience, inner strength and self-confidence can be trained.
Emotional balance
The cold hides one important piece of information. It is a powerful and deadly force. If used unwisely, ice water can endanger your life. That's why so many people fear hardening. One must learn to control one's mind in order to free oneself from the evolutionarily built-in mechanisms that deter us from these situations. This ability teaches us to act in accordance with our beliefs and not to be swayed by our emotions.
And that's a superpower!
It helps with the development of a growth mindset
Humans are naturally wired to seek comfort and avoid discomfort. A person prefers to ignore problems that should be solved, avoid difficult conversations, put off work on unfun tasks, prefer lazing around to playing sports, and numbing oneself with alcohol and snacks, rather than facing uncomfortable but very beneficial activities from a growth mindset perspective.
By training in the cold, we learn to step far beyond our comfort zone and enter a growth mindset. This kind of training forces us to see challenges as opportunities that move us closer to our true potential.
Mental training
The cold can also be used as mental training. Ice water activates the sympathetic system in the central nervous system, which prepares the body for "fight or flight". Your job is to remain calm under this stress and accept the discomfort with a calm mind.
Key points of cold therapy
Cold exercise helps:1) Increase resistance to resistance from an unpleasant situation
2) Pushing the boundary of the comfort zone
3) See challenges as opportunities
4) Overcoming fear and resistance
5) Increase the feeling of one's own inner strength and one's own abilities