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By Tera Busker
If you would have told me a year ago that I would be basking in the glory of icy water for my mental health, I would have told you that you had lost your marbles.
But here we are chest-deep in a 36-degree river on a 17 degree, blustery January day in Wisconsin. You may be asking yourself, “Why are you doing this?” Did I lose a bet? Was I forced to do this? Have I lost my mind? Nope, nope and on the contrary. I am doing this to strengthen my mind. Let me explain…
A few months ago, I was in a dead sleep when I shot awake at 4 am with a panic attack. My heart was exploding out of my chest, I couldn’t take a deep breath, and I was soaked in sweat. Through the spinning thoughts, I remembered a post on Instagram where a woman wrote about how ice showers were the only way she could stop her panic attacks. I stumbled out of bed, ran to the shower, turned the knob all the way to freezing and stepped in.
It was like the most stupid kind of magic that I had ever witnessed. As the cold water hit my skin, everything stopped. No thumping heart. No hot flashes (duh, I was in ice cold water). And no panic. It was just me, my breath and silence.
As I went through my day, I couldn’t stop thinking about how there must be something to this cold exposure thing. Everywhere I looked, cold showers, ice baths, and cold plunges were taking the internet by storm. The research was showing that 12 minutes of cold exposure per week could increase the feel-good hormone dopamine, activate the relaxing parasympathetic part of the nervous system, increase resilience to stressful situations and decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. And when paired with breathwork, it can increase the calming effect during the cold “therapy.”
So I decided to take the “plunge” and jump in with both feet (yes – pun is intended). Over the next few months, I made the cold my friend. A few times a week I would end my showers with up to 3 minutes of ice-cold water or (more enjoyably) alternate between 10 minutes of a warm sauna and 3 minutes of sitting in an icy cold bathtub. I even had a moment when I channeled my inner David Goggins and did snow angels in my birthday suit after an hour-long sauna. I have to mention here that I live in the middle of nowhere so I had no concern for lookie-loos. However, I may have to apologize to 3 squirrels and a crow for the 4-letter words and the view that they saw that day. Who knew snow could feel so much colder than an ice bath?
This brings me back to being chest-deep in a river. The Kinnickinnic River in River Falls is always cold. Even during the hottest part of the summer, just wading in the Kinni is torture. So why wouldn’t this be the perfect place to do a plunge in the summer, right? But to do it in the winter….this was going to require encouragement and lots of support. Who out there would actually be doing this on a regular basis?
Meet the Kinni Dippers, a group founded by Dani Larsen, Jess Bergman and Aly Hargrave. They meet multiple times per week along the Kinnickinnic River to connect with others looking to dip in the icy waters. So on a whim, I found out when a group was meeting, I packed up my gear, jumped in my Jeep and headed off to become a Kinni Dipper.
The whole drive over, I listed off all the reasons why this was a bad idea. I didn’t know anyone in the group. When I dipped into the cold before, I always had the comfort of my home to warm back up in. This dip would require cold, wet clothes, changing in my car and then driving back home to my warm house. Maybe I should just turn around.
Before I knew it, I was being welcomed with warm (for now) open arms, led down the banks to the Kinni and into the water. My goal was to stay in for 2 minutes, 3 tops, but as I took in the beauty of the snow in the trees, the bubbling of the river and the encouraging conversation, 10 minutes had flown by, and we were emerging from the water.
I won’t sugarcoat it – the next 2 hours were rough. I was COLD, but the all research that I had read said that warming up naturally (no hot shower or sauna) was the best way to strengthen your immunity, boost the feel-good hormones, reduce inflammation and build resilience. Once I warmed up, I felt great. I felt energized, clear headed and, most of all, calm. Wonderfully and gloriously calm!
Now I won’t say this is a cure for my anxiety, but I will say that cold exposure has made a difference in how I look at the difficult days and moments. No matter whether you experience anxiety or not, life will undoubtedly throw everyone a curveball at some point. Mix that with the stressors of the fast-paced world we live in, and we need numerous tools to help us get through it all. If I can breathe, relax my mind and sit in the uncomfortableness of icy water, I can and will survive the uncomfortableness of anxiety.
Before you start any cold exposure, you should do a little research before you just jump in. A simple Google search will provide you with ways to get started safely. But just know that this stuff is ADDICTING! Before you know it, you will be up north asking your husband to cut a hole in the lake so you can “get your cold on”…..on a subzero day.
