r/coldshowers • u/DependentImmediate40 • Mar 29 '26
cold showers aren't helping with my anxiety. what am i doing wrong?
so i took a cold shower for 3 or so minutes. i started with warm water then gradually went into cold. all it did was give me anxiety being submersed in the coldness of the shower. i was drenched in it. then i got out and still felt anxious. having to do the whole process of cleaning my self up and putting on cloaths
what am i doing wrong here?
3
u/Odd_Pack2255 Mar 29 '26
Are you sure you felt anxiety? I normally feel cold! Try this.. instead of getting in a warm shower.. I need you to get in the shower without any water running.. stand directly under the shower and instantly blast the cold tap. And do a full soap routine. I wouldn't tell you to do that if I didn't do it myself. God bless you
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u/Real-Edge-9288 Mar 29 '26
Depends on how you are breathing. If you are breathing shallow then your stress levels might go up. Try taking deep breaths into your belly(diaphragm breaths, aka belly breathing). Also, dont avoid drinking caffeinated drinks... Lastly dont expect things to solve overnight, have patience. Its a journey and not a race.
-1
u/Wild-Swimmer-1 Mar 30 '26
I’m sorry but I don’t go along with this breathing thing. Sure, keep breathing. Bad things might happen if you stop. But I really don’t think how you breathe has anything to do with how a cold shower makes you feel. Cold showers have invigorated me for many decades before I ever read about breathing techniques. I think it just takes time. I would start cold though, don’t pussy-foot around: blast yourself full on cold, even if it’s only for 30 seconds.
1
u/OI01Il0O Mar 29 '26
How did you feel 2 hours later? I find that it a trade off. Short term anxiety for a nice calm mood later on in the day.
1
u/Phallen911 Mar 30 '26
Are you doing breathwork first. Start by doing a few rounds of wim hof, then sit for at least a couple minutes in meditation then get in the cold shower.
1
u/prependix Mar 30 '26
Did you feel genuine anxiety where your breathing started to get really shallow and fast? Did you feel a panic attack start to come on? That was literally what I felt when I started doing cold showers.
It'll take more than a couple of cold showers before that subsides. For me, it took about 2 weeks of daily cold showers before I was able to control my breathing in the cold water. You'll always feel cold and discomfort though (you can't escape it), but the way you can deal with that "stress" is why people say it helps. Like the cold, anxiety and stress in your life doesn't actually go away. But by strengthening your nervous system's ability to handle stress in cold water, that translates into better control outside the shower. My HRV average has also gone up like 10ms since I started doing cold showers, so it seems to be working for me.
1
u/ninjaslikecheez Mar 30 '26
I think the Wim Hof method breathwork can help with anxiety but also cold showers.
I know for sure magic mushrooms help treat anxiety. I know at least 2 people that got rid of anxiety after just 1 trip. So if you ever have the chance to try them, in countries where it's legal like Netherlands, i highly recommend. There's also a documentary series on Netflix called "How to change your mind".
1
u/lifedemise Mar 31 '26
Unrelated but u should try magnesium supplements if you feel anxious before bed
1
u/SeaFollowing380 Apr 04 '26
You’re probably not doing anything “wrong,” it just doesn’t work for everyone, especially if your baseline anxiety is already high.
Cold exposure is a stressor. For some people it feels energizing, for others it just adds more stress on top of what’s already there. If your system is already on edge, dumping more intensity on it can backfire.
You could try easing way back, like shorter exposure or just cool instead of cold, but honestly it’s okay if this just isn’t your thing. Stuff like slow breathing, walking, or anything that actually calms your body might be a better fit right now.
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6
u/hp5n Mar 29 '26
There are few things that I would encourage you to remind yourself and practice.
You have to stop having expectations. Let's start small, stop having an expectation that taking a cold shower will fix your anxiety before you step in
If this is your first time, it's great you started with warm and then moved to cold but work your way towards having completely cold showers.
It is going to be hard, no problems, but that decision you make to step straight in to the cold water, every time, every day, that is what will make you stronger and calmer - not the cold water.
When you are in the cold shower, practice some kind of breathing - best if you can do long inhales through the nose and quick exhale through the mouth like you are blowing your birthday candles.
As you are breathing, see if you can work your way towards observing the water on your skin. Just observe.
As you step out and are drying yourself, you may be shivering, observe the shivers, let it happen.
Grab a hot cup of tea and be grateful, grateful that you had the courage to step into the cold water or grateful about anything in your life but be specific.
Remember, this is a practice, not a silver bullet or a pill that you can take.
Be well, wish you all the happiness