Cold Water Therapy

By Melissa Jones

OK, hear me out before you write this article off. I am the last person in the world who would have thought I’d be encouraging others to submerge themselves into cold water since I’m always cold! I hate being cold and cold water is a big fat ‘no’ for me - until I tried it!

I heard it was good for mental health, and since my mental health has taken a downward turn lately, I decided it was time for me to try new things and get myself back to feeling my wholesome self again. I’ve tried the usual - meditation, mindfulness, self-care, getting outside - but more and more I was seeing about cold water immersion. I had nothing to lose (except my warmth!), so I thought I would give it a go.

I met with a friend who does it regularly and we headed to a river. I was shivering before I had even taken my clothes off! Not to sound dramatic but I dipped my feet into the river and thought I was going to DIE! Yes, that dramatic. It was absolutely freezing! I thought, well I’m here now so I might as well keep going. As I kept going further into the river and breathing deeply, because let me tell you, it takes your breath away, I started to feel less cold, calmer and all my stresses seemed to disappear in that moment, because I was too concerned with whether my toes were going to fall off or not. But the sense of peace that washed over me was incredible! It was a great feeling. For the first time in a while I felt at peace, there was nothing else but me, and in this moment, I was truly present. When I got out of the water, I wasn’t cold. I was cold but not COLD! It wasn’t uncomfortable and it really put me in an amazing mood for the rest of the day.

Want to know some of the amazing benefits of cold water therapy?

1. Reduces muscle soreness
2. May ease symptoms of depression
3. Immune boosting
4. Energy boosting
5. Improves sleep
6. Mood boosting
7. Reduces inflammation

The best way to do this is find a local body of clean water for added ‘close to nature’ benefits, for example the sea, rivers, etc. Or you can have a cold bath or shower which works just as well. However, as a disclaimer, I do not recommend you do this if you have any medical conditions or heart problems, and make sure you check with your doctor first if you do. If you try it, I’d love to hear your experience, so head over to my Instagram @melissa.jones.91 and let me know.

Melissa Jones is a Mama and a passionate health advocate. Her Passion is helping women to believe in themselves and achieve personal goals through mindset and great food. If you’d like to connect or have any questions, reach out – She would love to help! 

Right now she is  in transition, her goals and aspirations are changing and she's figuring it out along the way. She loves good food and as such she writes a Happy and Healthy Mama blog with The Female CEO as well as her work in The Virtual Wellness Studio, feel free to check it out.