Despite all of the differences that exist amongst humanity, I'm almost sure we can agree on one thing: the power of a shower.
And if you have yet to experience the overwhelming reset that a good shower can provide, add it to your bucket list. That is, the bucket list full of mundane itemized activities that you can complete in your house.
A few weeks back after a sweaty day in the sun, it was inherently time to take a shower. However, the blazing hot jetting water that usually accompanies my off-pitch singing sounded particularly unappetizing. My friend Julianna relayed to me that she always ends her showers off with cold water, as it's apparently proven to be good for your pores, or some other skin-health related tidbit that I certainly am no master in. Admittedly, reminding myself to wash my face is a daily feat.
Coupled with the motivation to get out of the unapologetic heat of July, her little tip inspired me to give it a try. Prior to this, I will say I have never been a fan of cold showers; I've always considered it a table marked for the slightly insane. Which, of course, is by no means a bad thing. I believe we're all slightly insane in our own respected subcategories of life.
After my initial shock of the freezing water pressure hitting my eyes, and a few solid seconds of adjustment, I no longer felt like I was swimming in a December Lake Michigan. These few minutes offered a period of reset from the heat and forced me to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
So, at this moment, I reflected on what taking a cold shower, metaphorically, can do to your life. The benefits for your pores versus the cons of perceived hypothermia. The benefits of stark realization of who you are versus the cons of the stark realization of who you are.
Amidst all of the buzzing meetings, hectic social functions, rushed workouts, and other activities that require a few full servings of caffeine on the daily, how often do you take time to check in with yourself? Or, rather, take a cold shower?
Ironically, these tasks might coincide into one 10-min stamp on your Google calendar that lives somewhere between going for a run and heading to a meeting.
An intervention with yourself is comparative to a cold shower for a few reasons.
First, the "shower" aspect requires isolation. Yes, of course, from other living people, but also from the constant distractions stemming from our silver, gold, or, in my case, rose-colored gadgets. It is not often that when we aren't at a luncheon, at a meeting, or at the office, we are also not on our phones. They offer that instant relief in which you don't have to make eye contact at the train station with that enigma of a stranger, or, perhaps worse, you don't have to truly think about yourself.
Hence, an isolated shower brings those trademark "shower thoughts." For once segment of your day, you're just simply existing. No notifications, digital or direct. Sure, you have to complete that very complex routine of putting shampoo in your hair, but I hope we can all agree that by age 8 we can handle it.
People are always boasting about their wild thoughts in the shower; how they came up with a genius business idea, spun up a creative birthday gift they've been stalling on, or discovered a new outlook on their life. Even though we are arguably at our creative or intellectual peak in the shower, we actively decide to leave those thoughts there.
Think about it: How many more a-ha moments could we crown by isolating ourselves from others and our devices for 20 minutes a day? 10 minutes? No matter who you are or what your career is, it's impossible to argue that letting your mind wander, in the way it was literally built to, isn't good for you.
Despite this seemingly obvious notion, we are afraid to think, and just think.
Secondly, the "cold" component of this cold shower analogy. Given the fact that the majority of us can't even scrape out 20 minutes a day to be alone with our thoughts, it's unlikely that you've actively worked to evaluate where you are in life. A raw meeting with reality, whether she is pretty or not, should be due every once in a while.
We tend to only have these moments with ourselves when we claim to have hit rock bottom. Some may face it upon losing a job, failing a class, or being a fault for a quality relationship coming to a close. It's the moment when you look in the mirror and ask yourself, how did I get here?
Don't get me wrong, those moments are valuable, and often, necessary. However, they don't need to happen often, as a ritual of self-shame can't be healthy for anybody. By addressing your mindset, behavior, and choices more frequently, and adjusting them to align with who you actually want to be, will lessen your chances of reaching rock bottom. The more you reach it, the deeper it sinks.
This addressing of oneself, this intervention with who you've become, is a cold shower. You have to not only confront what you've done well, the hallmarks of your life that you are proudest of, but also confront your mistakes. The moments you've been tucking under your pillow so that not even you can see them at night.
Because just like a cold shower, this self-analyzation may be shocking, it may be uncomfortable, and it might not feel like a warm hug. But tough love exists for a reason; it's the catalyst for improvement. And it is especially powerful when it comes from yourself.
So, I challenge you to take a cold shower. Figuratively, that is, although it can work wonders on your pores as well (allegedly).
Here's to getting comfortable with the uncomfortable,
caroline hughes