I have recently been really into learning new ways to challenge myself and make myself a more productive human. I stumbled upon this Youtuber named Matt D’Avella (I know…Youtube is probably the opposite of being productive, haha) and he was doing a new challenge, each for 30 days. This was for a whole year in order to push him into new things and gain some new habits.
One of the challenges peaked my interest the most. He took cold showers for 30 days straight. At first he explained the medical benefits to it such as burning more body fat, strengthening your immune system, and reducing inflammation. However, there are benefits to warm showers as well. But as the video continued, he explained a concept I had never thought of. It’s called “the flinch.” He first heard of it from a book by Julien Smith. The flinch or hesitation your body does before you run to get in a cold shower can be applied to so many things in your life. He simply explained that as the 30 days went on it gets easier and easier for you to get in. The lagging process of standing outside the shower and being afraid of what’s to come simply starts getting shorter and shorter. He then takes this idea and brings it to real life situations. The examples he uses are for interviews, big presentations, or difficult conversations with someone, which I am sure we are all familiar with as young adults. It teaches him to push past that hesitation, discomfort, and nervousness. He is more likely to just jump right into new things because he has now trained his body to be used to the flinch and to almost embrace it. Now am I saying that everyone should be taking cold showers for 30 days straight? No, not exactly, but I certainly think the lesson it teaches is something a lot of individuals could learn from. I highly recommend everyone watches the video, because it certainly can inspire many. And who knows, maybe you will find yourself turning your shower on cold today.