Plunging into the New

On doing something I said I'd never do

Have you noticed cold plunging is having a moment?

I noticed it last year, when people I follow on Instagram started going into cold water.

Seriously cold water. These folks live in Canada. Some of them are cutting holes in ice to get in that water. Others are beach plunging while snow blows across the sand.

Every time I came across one of these photos or videos, the contents of my stomach curdled like cottage cheese.

I will never do that. I never want to be cold like that.

But the people doing this LOVE it. They come out of the water triumphant, joyous. They go back and do it again. All through a Canadian winter.

And it wasn’t just Canada. Here in Seattle, a friend of mine was cold plunging as well. She said it helped her body recover for the chemotherapy she had gone through the year prior. She started last summer and kept it up all winter, surprising even herself. Every time we talked about it, her face lit up.

I wasn’t convinced; I do not like to be cold.

But I took the same advice I’ve offered here—think about the things that used to make you happy and bring you joy. Consider reviving some of them.

When I was in high school, I woke up early to meet my friend Lorraine and we walked to school together in the dark. There we met other friends—Shonquis, Sara, and more. The swim team coach posted our workout for the day on the white board by the pool and we got in to swim our lengths while most of the world was still in bed.

Afterward, we sat on a bench and ate breakfast while the sun sallied up into the sky and teachers, staff, and students gradually starting arriving. I remember spooning milky granola out of a beat-up tupperware container and feeling so. dang. good.

I don’t like getting up early, I don’t like swimming all that much, I don’t even like granola, but those moments—renewed from the workout, with my friends, bathed in the golden slanting light of dawn—were some of the highlights of each day.

In late May, I told my friend I wanted to try joining her at the beach this summer.
(Try being the most important part of the sentence).

I showed up wearing a thick fleece scarf wrapped around my neck, a hat, and neoprene booties. The very idea of getting in the water made me feel shivery and blue.I was grateful for the booties, they blunted the shock of the cold. By the time the sea water had seeped its way to my feet, it had warmed up a bit.

We waded in slowly. The pain points came as sensitive body parts submerged—the groin area, the lower back, the armpits and under-breast area, the very back of the neck. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

“See what I mean?” my friend said. “You get in the water and your body just sort of settles.”

“That’s because your body goes NUMB,” I said, laughing. But it wasn’t a bad sensation. It felt calming.

This isn’t a swimming experience. You wade in, you stay as long as you feel comfortable, you get out. The first time, I didn’t put my head under.

But your body does settle—it’s like the whole nervous system gets a reboot.

The real magic happens when you get out. Energy! Exhilaration! A feeling of wellbeing!

Dare I say, JOY?

I’ve been back to the beach every week since. I’ve started to crave it. I went this morning. I’ll be tempted to go tomorrow.

That first time, I came home with a grin plastered on my face. I peeled off my booties at the door, and every time I caught a glimpse of them drying there I smiled all over again with this thing I had done that reminded me of my own wild and adventurous spirit, the part of me so easy to lose touch with in this work-a-day world.

Later, when I walked past the bathroom and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror­, I grinned. I could see that glint in my eye, I recognized that spirited part of myself again. I had not seen her in quite some time.

But honestly, I didn’t care what I looked like—because I FELT so good.

To say I am surprised is an understatement.

I guess I am a cold plunger now. I’m wondering if I could move somewhere to live on the water, or at least a short walk away. Because I don’t think I want to be without this in my life.

But here is the key: the world is filled with new and interesting things we’ve never tried. It’s quite magical that way. And not everything you try is going to be the perfect match, but you’ll never know if you don’t give it a go.

Go on, try. You might just surprise yourself.

I certainly did.

**With huge great thanks to my friend J for facilitating this new adventure ❤️