You know those days when everything feels wrong from the moment you open your eyes?
When that first email hitting your inbox directly is super annoying and on top then your laptop freezes… 😡
You for sure all experienced these days where the tension builds up more and more in the body, the mood plummets, and you are ready to write off the entire day as “one of those.”
That’s where my unconventional solution comes in: an ice barrel. Well, to be honest, it’s actually a rainwater tank that I got for 15€ from the garden center, BUT it serves its purpose perfectly – holding really fucking cold water most of the year (here in Germany).
I don’t use it regularly or for health optimization. NO, I use it specifically to reset my brain on “one of those days.” I jump in for 30-60 seconds until I either get slightly dizzy or start shivering. Afterward, I take a hot shower until I feel cozy warm again.
And trust me… my mood completely transforms.
My non-scientific explanation: In the moment when you are in the barrel and freezing, you brain just has no more capazity for any anger or other thoughts appart from “damn, this is cold. Why am I doing this.”
Try it yourself; it’s miraculous.
If you don’t have space for a barrel, a cold shower (as in “coldest setting possible”) has a similar effect. However, I find the ice barrel easier to manage. Plus, it gets me out into nature (my garden is quite wild)… which I believe adds to the therapeutic effect.
Cheers and love to all of you ✌️
Here what science says: When you’re in freezing water, your brain essentially goes into survival mode. Studies have shown that cold therapy can significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and stress while improving overall mood and brain function (Jungmann et al., 2018). This happens because your brain releases norepinephrine during cold stress, which has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety. The cold exposure also stimulates your vagus nerve – the largest part of your body’s “relaxation system” – which helps shift you from a stress state to a calmer one.
If you want to checkout even more science around the ice barrel, this company has a quite nice collection of research on their page https://icebarrel.com/pages/science (they sell ice barrels, so keep in mind their bias!)