Diving in the cold every day really helped my anxiety

• I started doing cold dives about a year ago and do it almost every day.
• I started with an inflatable tank, and once I got hooked, I moved on to a real bathtub.
• Once in the cold water, the chatter in my head stops.

Last winter, it seemed like I couldn’t scroll through social media for more than a few seconds without seeing several articles about cold diving. I was bored by the repetition but also curious.

As soon as I clicked on a message, I was treated to a meal of strangers in tubs of ice water surrounded by snow, sipping their morning coffee and espousing the virtues of cold bathing. I’m not a fan of marketing, but as a native Mainer, I’m a big fan of cold water, so it was hard for me to resist taking the plunge.

Almost a year later, I was cold almost every day, and it helped me become a calmer father.

My wife bought me my first cold bathtub for my birthday

After hearing me talk non-stop about how I wanted to try to get into practicing, my wife gave me an Icepod. The Pod is one of many brands that makes fairly affordable and portable cold tubs.

I immediately installed it on my terrace. I live in Maine, where it’s still cold in mid-March and the water in the hose was 42 degrees.

The water temperature would allow me to avoid buying ice for weeks, I thought, since the idea is always to keep the plunge pool at a certain temperature.

The first time I walked in, the cold took my breath away

Despite my affection for the cold waters of Maine where I regularly swim on days others wouldn’t consider, my first dip was a shock. The cold water took my breath away and all I could think about was getting out, which I did quickly.

A friend recommended I stay until I could regulate my breathing, and on my next try, I took several deep breaths and relaxed within 30 seconds, allowing me to stay Longer. It became relatively easy after that, and soon my dunks were lasting over two minutes and sometimes up to five. I had read that the long-term benefits of diving begin after 11 minutes per week, which was easy to achieve with sessions of more than two minutes, seven days per week. It helped that I never wanted to skip, even on tough days, and getting through those days became an advantage in itself.

Cold diving helped my mental health the most

The physical and mental feeling after a dive is incredible. My body sometimes feels cool for an hour afterwards, but I don’t have a prolonged feeling of cold or chills.

It also relieves pain and inflammation, which is great for me as I still have pain from previous sports injuries.

Mentally, however, the benefits were much greater. I’ve suffered from anxiety since childhood, but not to the point where I needed medication. As a stay-at-home dad to three young children, including 3-year-old twins, my anxiety can sometimes take over and make parenting extremely difficult.

When fathers’ anger is showing and three demanding children are begging for attention, it’s hard to take 20 minutes to enjoy a peaceful meditation. However, a dip only takes two minutes and for me it’s like an instant reset button.

I’ll tell the kids I’m going diving, and they’ll not only let me do it, but they’ll often come watch. They all went in once to smell the water. As soon as I get overwhelmed, the almost constant chatter in my brain stops. After a minute, I calm down, and by the time I walk out the door, I’m ready to be an engaged dad for the rest of the day.

This was simply remarkable for me. To top it off, my sleep has improved and I haven’t been sick in the last eight months.

I opted for a larger bathtub

After enjoying it for a few months, I decided I was in it for the long haul, but I had no interest in filling my tub with ice every day and emptying, cleaning, and refilling it every A few days. So I upgraded to a Plunge, a luxury cold tub that has been on my patio since it arrived, and it’s my favorite.

The Plunge has an electric cooler that cools up to 39 degrees and can go up to 104 degrees. Keeping the water clear and cold was easy, and although the tub is expensive, it’s worth it for someone who is serious about pursuing this fad, which I definitely am.