Cold Plunging into the New Year

As we step into the next month of the new year, I wanted to share a deeply personal experience that turned out to be not just physically invigorating, but emotionally and mentally liberating as well. On New Year’s Eve, I decided to take a cold plunge with Back2Nature Wellness & Adventures that was a complete dive into the unknown and a true comfort zone stretch. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the idea of embracing discomfort as a way to grow, but the experience of actually doing it was far more potent than I had imagined.

At first, I’ll admit, the idea of plunging into ice-cold water was pretty darn terrifying. My mind in the days leading up to the event was running through every possible reason why I should NOT attend this event. The resistance was thick and the fear that was being pulled up was very uncomfortable to sit with.

Fear—the primal, protective instinct—was doing its job, trying to keep me safe, keeping me small, and keeping me stuck in what was familiar. But I knew I had to push through. I knew this was about more than just the cold—it was about something deeper. It was about turning towards my fear, recognizing how our minds blow things out of proportion, and using this as an opportunity to learn how the stories we tell ourselves can keep us from stepping into our full potential.

So, I took the plunge.

And wow, what a flippin' metaphor for life.

Before the plunge, the minds of all the participants were loud. It was fascinating to witness the mind stories that everyone else was sharing as a mirror of my own mind as if the it was trying to talk all of us out of it at every step.

But the reality of the cold water was different than what my mind had made it out to be. Once I climbed into the hole cut in the ice, the first few seconds were, of course, shocking, but after that initial rush, I could feel the cold’s intensity melting away as I settled into it.

It wasn’t as unbearable as my mind had warned me it would be. Not even close, to tell you the truth.

In fact, it was oddly invigorating.

What I had imagined as something excruciating and uncomfortable became just a sensation—an experience, like any other. And as I stayed in the water, the more my mind quieted down. It was wildly liberating.

The insight was crystal clear: The mind exaggerates fears to protect us, but in doing so, it hugely limits our growth.

How many times do we stop ourselves from moving forward or trying something new because of imagined worst-case scenarios?

How often do we hesitate or avoid the discomfort of facing our fears because of stories we’ve created in our minds?

The cold plunge was a perfect reminder that our fears are often disproportionate to the actual reality of the situation.

I've said this many times before and I won't stop now: the ego is constantly trying to protect us from feeling discomfort, from facing the unknown. It craves certainty, comfort, and safety. The ego says, “Stay where you are. Stay small. Stay safe.” But this is where the potential for growth lies dormant.

When I finally stepped out of the cold plunge, it felt like more than just a physical release. I felt a sense of soulful liberation. The tight grip of my ego, which had tried so hard to protect me from feeling discomfort, loosened. I had faced the fear. I had moved through my mind’s stories and experienced something that my ego had tried to shield me from. The old part of me that wanted to stay comfortable and avoid discomfort faded away as I embraced something new—something transformative.

Physically, the cold plunge was an energizing shock to the system, but the mental clarity it brought afterward as I sat in the sauna was the real gift.

In that moment of stillness, with my mind no longer preoccupied with worries or the chatter of fears, I experienced a kind of quiet. A clarity. It was like the fog in my mind cleared, and for the first time in a while, I felt deeply present.

Can you guess what I did next?

I cold plunged again! And this time, with my mind now understanding that this cold plunge was not dangerous, I felt safer to stretch myself even further this time. ** INSIGHT: Don't just stretch your comfort zone once... do it again!*

I got curious. I thought, if I can do this at all, I wonder if I can go for even longer. I'd only ever cold plunged once before in an ice bath--but certainly not in a frozen over lake on December 31st in Saskatchewan. The previous time, I'd plunged twice, for about 45 and 60 seconds each time.

Hmm, I wonder if I can stretch myself beyond that.

I trust my body, fiercely. I knew I could stretchy my limits and trust that my body would tell me when it was time to get out. I descended into the icy water, nestled my feet into the sand on the bottom of the lake, crouched in, and focused on my breath. A fellow cold plunger set his watch and shared my timing with me.

30 seconds... I was so present to the sensations in my body and my experience.

45 seconds... I witnessed how my body felt versus how my mind expected it to be.

60 seconds... I shared how the mind stories are so much bigger than the reality of the experience. Where else am I doing this?

90 seconds... I feel good. I feel liberated. I'm being freed from the grip of my mind. I'm breathing.

2 minutes... I noticed my self-protective comfort zone walls collapsing. I smiled.

2 and a half minutes... "I want to do this regularly. WOW."

3 minutes... My body was ready to get out and my mind was blown wide open. Jaw dropped, yes smiling, beaming, knowing I'd just done something HUGE for myself.

As I thawed myself out in the sauna, I realized that the cold water helped me reset, not just physically, but emotionally too. I let go of so many unnecessary fears, so many stories I had told myself that had kept me from fully stepping into my own potential. The energy I had been holding onto—fear, self-doubt, worry—was rinsed away in those few minutes. And in their place, I felt a profound sense of calm and peace.

What struck me the most was how much we let our egos dictate what we think we can or cannot do. We put up walls of fear and limitation, not because they’re based on reality, but because we’ve convinced ourselves of their truth. Cold plunging was a powerful metaphor for breaking through those walls.

As I emerged from the water, I felt lighter—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It wasn’t just the coldness that gave me this sensation, but the act of breaking free from the comfort zone I had built around myself. It was a moment of release, of surrendering to the discomfort and trusting that I could handle whatever came my way.

This experience was a reminder of how much we limit ourselves by staying in our comfort zones, avoiding discomfort, and buying into the ego’s stories about what we can and can’t handle. The truth is, we are capable of so much more than we often give ourselves credit for.

As I entered 2025, I felt a deep sense of clarity and empowerment. I could see how embracing discomfort—whether physical, mental, or emotional—can be one of the most liberating acts we can do for ourselves.

It's a reminder that the stories we tell ourselves, the limitations we believe, are often just that—stories.

And once we step outside those self-imposed boundaries, there is a vast and limitless potential waiting for us.

So, as we continue into this year, I invite you to ask yourself:

Where can I take a plunge in my own life?

What fears just might dissolve or shatter completely by stretching beyond the edges of my comfort zone?

What mind stories can I untangle by getting curious?

Here’s to breaking free from our limiting beliefs, embracing discomfort, and stepping into our true potential.

What’s your next comfort zone stretch?