How to take cold showers properly?

Don't touch the facet once it's cold.

Nah jk but it is that simple, you have to be determined. But tips to get there are either start like warm and turn it a little bit colder every minute or 30 seconds, or take a warm shower and make the last two minutes super cold.

Cheers!

 

In my case, the best tip that I could give to succeed with the cold showers is to control your breath. The instinctive reaction of the body when feeling cold water is to breath quickly and in a shallow way, but the best thing to do is exactly the opposite: to breath slowly and deeply. In this way you kind of "disconnect" body and mind and can take a cold shower without much problems.

Also it is a good idea to get your head and face wet with cold water as quickly as possible. I don't know why, but I think that it is a reflection that we the mammals have in order to trigger the vasoconstriction that allows us to properly adapt to cold. But I don't really know the cause, to be honest.

These things work really well for me, and sooner or later you will get used to the cold shower. After several repetitions is not a big deal, and the benefits are amazing.

 

@AlexFightsAlex 's recommendation is great. Breath is vital.

I just finished reading The Wim Hof Method. I recommend it. Some of his meta-physics stuff I'm not down with, but the fruit of his practice is unquestionable.

His recommendation for getting into cold showers is thus:

- start by taking a comfy warm shower
- at the end of the warm shower, simply turn off the heat, and leave the cold on
- just stay in it for 30 seconds (or 15 seconds, if that's all you can stand at first)

Then, he recommends doing that every day for a week.

then after a week, add 30 seconds of cold (or add 15, if that's all you can add). Continue for a week. Then add another 30. And another 30.

If you do that for a month, you'll be to the point at the end where you can stay in the cold for 2 minutes, which is a good cold shower by most standards.

 

Do the 30 days cold shower challenge
It can motivate you to keep on track

https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/30-days-cold-shower-challenge.166409/page-50#post-2953959

 

I just created a thread on taking cold showers, pretty much what I do is turn the faucet to a temperature that's still cold, but can properly wash off body wash or conditioner. Then once I am finished with that I sit under the coldest setting on my shower for at least 2-3 minutes. Its tough at first, I was shivering for the first few showers but after a week it gets a lot easier.

 

Of course you will get cold.

What worked for me is slowly rising the bar. First I started with medium water then during the shower I slowly go lower and lower.

With time you will notice that eventually you will start going to the lowest without noticing.

3 years later I jump into max cold without hesitation (almost)

Playing hype music also helped me in the beginning (like entering the cold when the drop comes)

And don't forget to stay relaxed and breathe, remember it's just some water you are not going to die. Stay in and breathe, feel the cold accept the cold let the water flow. It's not more complicated than that.

Also try to get your head wet and cold (NOT TOO MUCH CUZ I'VE HAD SOME BAD HEADACHES, but also it's not fatal so you can find your limit) I notice that when I get my head in the shower it becomes easier, note that you will probably grasp for air, but it will make you feel better. Do it a couple of times during showering so you keep yourself nice. With time you will see improvement, ALWAYS TRY TO GO LOWER THAN YESTER DAY.

 

Warm water +1

 

When I first started, I just put the faucet on the coldest setting and jumped in to take my normal daily shower. It's very uncomfortable and at the beginning I was shivering, twitching, and cursing, but that was the whole point for me: to face a fear and to become comfortable being uncomfortable. After 3 weeks or so of this, I can do the cold shower even when it's freezing outside.

 

I have been taking cold showers for over 8 months. What I did is this:
I started with twice a week, starting with cool water each shower, and then decreasing the starting temperature every shower. I did twice a week for 28 days (4 weeks). After keeping track of that, I increased it to 3 times a week for 28 Days, and I am currently doing 4 times a week, on my second week. I can now shower with the water on the coldest setting, and I can usually do it with not much trouble. I didn't start the 2-3-4 times a week until a few months ago, obviously, but I was taking them bare minimum once a week, if not, at least twice a week. I have not taken a warm or hot shower since July.
To be honest, my best tip is, there is not tip. There is no strategy for cold showers, you just have to do it! Go in there, turn it on cold, and stay in there for 5-10 minutes or more. Hope this helps.
P.S. A cold shower is one of the best things to immediately after a relapse.

 

If you do it consistently, I promise you, your body gets used to it. I'll post a video here in case you need something more in depth.