Cold Showers feel like a chore

For me it builds discipline and after taking one I feel more clear and like I can overcome anything. Yes it sucks, but it’s supposed to be uncomfortable. You force your body to do uncomfortable things and abstaining from addictions becomes easier, because your use to denying temporary comfort. It’s a benificial stressor just like exercise is a beneficial stressor. They’re both difficult at first, but there’s a long term reward.

If you really want to know more about the underlying mechanisms and benefits of cold showers then google “opponent process theory of emotion”

 

I always take cold showers now, though I've only been doing this for a week. It's always best after a workout, but afterwards I feel much stronger after taking one. Not only that it helps curb the urges, with frigid water blasting on you, you ain't got time to think about PMO.

Plus as a bonus it saves me money on my bills.

 

I look at it from a totally different point of view. You don’t have to take cold showers to kick the PMO habit. You don’t have to take cold showers to gain discipline. There are other ways to achieve those things.

I’ve reached over 90 days of no-PMO and maintain a disciplined eating/exercise schedule. I haven’t had a cold shower in over two years. And that was only because my water heater went out and I had to wait a few days for a replacement.

So don’t think you have to take cold showers to accomplish great things.

My two cents on the subject.

 

I take cold showers for maybe 1-2 minutes. Are the benefits greater if you stay in for at least 5 minutes? My thinking is probably yes!

 

I tried the cold shower thing but its just not for me. I cant catch my breath when standing under cold water.

My advice is that cold showers are not a necessity and if youre seeing them as a chore just dont do them, at least for now, you can always try them again at some point

 

Of course it feels like a chore, its painful as fuck!

 

I don't understand what are you saying... Self improvement has to feel like a chore in the long run, it's only though pain and suffering we can improve ourselves, there is no "fun" self improvement. What makes your life better are the hard things, not the easy and fun ones. So you need to rethink your priorities, do you want to be a better person or do you just want to avoid work?

NoFap to me sucks, really, a lot. It's hard, it's painful and it drives me crazy and depressed, but that's how I know it is really good.

 

I know a lot of people here disagree, but personally I think the whole comm shower magic thing is dumb and all in the mind. I dont see the point in being intentionally uncomfortable for some kind of magic "discipline" you will gain. There are other ways to have discipline in your life. And quite frankly, life is hard enough already without taking away something like a warm, cozy shower that gives me comfort and happiness. I think some people on this site can go way too far with the whole self improvement thing, and theres a point when it's just not healthy or sustainable anymore. We are only human. You need a break and some relaxation and time to yourself and fun and all of that good stuff. For me, personally, taking cold showers would be an exercise in pointless misery.

 

I take a cold shower everyday for about a year. It was pretty damn cold in winter and it never stopped me jerking off but I like it. It feels manly and cleansing for the body and spirit. It makes it easy as shit to jump into a swimming pool or beach water or whatever when everyone else looks like they are about to die from a little cold water. Giving up some modern luxuries like heated water is probably a good thing.

 

Allow me to put the discrepancies (that so obviously plague this discussion every time it arises) to rest.

First of all, from a biological standpoint, men stand to gain much more from this habit than women. Some benefits of cold showers are common for both biologies:
- cold showers trigger the release of cortisol, a hormome which boosts your immunity.
- cold showers tighten the hair pores, becoming an effective remedy against dandruff, oily hair and general hair loss (NOT male-pattern baldness as that is due to the buildup of DHT, a hormone- the formation of which incidentally happens to be boosted through MO).
- cold showers provide immediate cooling for the body, instantly halting sweating and alleviating dry skin (warm showers exacerbate skin dryness because open pores lead to more dehydration) NOT arising from autoimmune and genetic causes. In a way, it is symptomatic treatment for many common skin and hair diseases, including acne on any part of the body.
- cold showers INDEED serve as a tool for mental conditioning and improve the individual's tolerance and willpower, but these effects are short-term (depending to a large extent on the ambient temperature), mild and can be easily reproduced to a much higher degree of efficacy via simple exercise. Additionally, for any psychological benefits to be noted from cold shower therapy, the individual must have the initial temperament of deriving motivation from such controlled stresses. It's like forcing the "pain is gain" motto on people; not everyone sees it that way- that's precisely why not everyone will note these changes (or allow them to occur); they just don't see eye to eye on the matter because for them, it's just unnecessary pain.

The points listed above are common for both sexes; below, I mention the points exclusive for men:
- cold showers boost the production of testosterone and sperm, albeit for a short period. This effect is most pronounced in winter becauss people tend to stay bundled in warmth for most of the time and create sub-optimal conditions for the testes to function in.
- cold showers halt and antagonize the phenomenon of erections from both physiological and psychological standpoints. Cold water leads to shorter breaths which leave less oxygen to be available for peripheral body parts; this is the physiological standpoint. Cold showers provide (as i'm sure we ALL agree on) an immediate shock to the body, becoming an easy distraction to alleviate erections. This is the psychological angle.

And that is where the benefits end.
There is no other real benefit from cold showers.
They provide a burst of euphoria for some, myself included, leading to common misconceptions and exaggerated testimonies to that effect.

There is NOTHING else to be credited to this act, although I definitely am a proponent of getting into the habit.

Hope I could put an end to the discrepancies.

 

I think I just like being extra

 

If you do stay in a cold shower longer it does seem to benefit more. I like the way I feel and haven't noticed any bad effects. I do treat myself to a warm shower every now and then to so I can change things up.

 

I like the results, not necessarily the process. It's the same with exercise for me.
Do the work, focus on how you feel afterwards.

 

I had the same thing with exercise and cold showers, it feels like effort you know "damn should I really do it" and then you do it for like 5 days straight, awesome, but, then just one day all the motivation is gone you skip the cold shower or exercise and you feel like you failed, and then you relapse

 

I almost gave in and took a warm shower this morning. Cold down here in the south. But...I said no...and went for the cold! Glad I did.

 

Firsts times feel awful, Ikr, but now I can take a cold shower and I love it. (Been using cold shower for 1 month)

 

oh yeah, man!!! Ancient people had access to nice warm showers back in the day! They spend their days hunting wild life and come home to a nice warm shower!!!

 

What's your point? People also didnt have proper shelter in the olden days, or cars or medical care or tons of other things that I enjoy and am going to continue to use because they make my life easier and more enjoyable.

 

@IAmLegion thank you for the epic post!

I like that especially!

Yeah we make a hype about cold showering here. But since there are real benefits why not promoting it? I ride on this hype and enjoy cold showers too.

The joys of hot showering or bathing and that of cold showering or bathing are quite different. You don't need to choose only one and discard the other. Also you can combine them both and the most sophisticated way of that is called sauna.

@pmotina I would recommend to try a short cold shower after a warm/hot shower. That's not so hard but you already have most of the benefit (I guess). From my experience, after that the body feels very warm and you don't need so much protection against coldness outside anymore, while after a warm shower you might freeze. (Did @IAmLegion actually mention this particular benefit??)
When that's not your thing, just forget about cold showers