I embarked on a new experiment the day before yesterday: A cold shower! I ease in to it by starting with a hot shower and ending with cold one which almost makes me gasp but I can tolerate it for a while. As my cold tolerance improves I will cut down or remove the hot part and increase the cold part. In one study they found cold baths increase dopamine levels by 250% and the effect lasts for a few hours. And it has other benefits as well. I can’t justify cold baths in our parched California so cold showers it is. I feel quite invigorated afterwards. My plan is stick to a morning routine of a deep breathing exercise, a short break, then a cold shower and then some focused work + a cappuccino during a break but no other food until after 2pm. I am also trying to do 20 min exercise + 10 meditation but I need to integrate them in my routine.
I’ll see how this experiment goes! I will try to provide weekly or at least a monthly update on this thread.
Just as pain is a signal by our body that some part of our body needs attention, complaining is a signal by our brain that we need to work on the root causes of what bothers us! At least that is how I try to shift from complaining & getting upset to doing something and feeling better. That is, spend less time on “research” and more time on actual “practice”!
Some of the earlier “research” I did that may be of interest (all by Prof. Andrew Huberman):
Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast #66 - YouTube – here Huberman talks about the study I alluded to above.
Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction | Huberman Lab Podcast #39 - YouTube
ADHD & How Anyone Can Improve Their Focus | Huberman Lab Podcast #37 - YouTube
Feel free to use this thread for your own periodic check in. The idea is to get/give support, encouragement & motivation.