Stoicism is a cool concept, and word in general. Stoicism. Just say it. It really is fun. Not only is it a fun word to say, stoicism is an important character trait to develop. Stoicism is defined as “The endurance of pain or hardship without a display of feelings and without complaint.” Yippee! It’s a great tool to help you become tougher and more content, which ultimately leads you to being happier.
The trick is to develop your stoicism muscle throughout your everyday life.
Cold showers are a great way to practice stoicism. The cold water is no fun when it hits your skin. Your body wants you to run away from it as fast as you can. Your mind is more powerful than your body so you can decide you aren’t going to run away but instead stand still as the freezing water rushes all over you.
When you try to escape from the pain of the cold water your body starts to panic. If you just let go and allow the cold to overwhelm you, you find a comfort in it. Haters say that warm comfort is really hypothermia. Don’t let it comfort you that much. If you stand there for a few seconds you realize there is no overwhelming to be done. When you give in and let the cold do its worst, nothing happens to you. You don’t shrink down and become weak. Instead, you roar up and become alive.
When you turn the water off after standing under an ice cold shower for a few minutes you get a rush of endorphins. You feel a mixture of being alive, powerful, and content. You feel happy. Intuitively it doesn’t make sense because how can going through a struggle like withstanding cold water actually improve your overall happiness?
It never gets easier, you get stronger.
I’ve been ending my showers with cold water for over a year now. It never gets physically easier, I just get mentally stronger. Every time I start a shower I tell myself that this time I won’t do the cold water. This time I’ll just enjoy a nice hot shower with no pain. I almost always opt for the cold shock at the end.
When you use your stoicism muscles you find you’re more content with life. So don’t shy away from those uncomfortable moments where you have to endure. You’re becoming a more resilient person when you face those obstacles head on. Stand in the cold. Notice it. Let it overwhelm you so you can see you’re stronger than you thought you were.
It’s important to practice flexing your stoicism muscle because life is going to hypothetically throw cold water on you constantly. People who never deal with the adversity life throws at them can feel completely unprepared to handle it when a cold water situation presents itself. It’s hard to be content in life when you continually run away from the cold water. It’s hard to be discontent when you embrace it. Choose wisely.
So, next time you’re stuck in a situation you’d rather not be in just think of all the great exercise your stoicism muscle is getting. Practicing stoicism isn’t fun, but it’s rewarding. You don’t have to use literal cold water, but find ways to practice stoicism. You’ll be happier for it. Here’s a few more articles you’ll be excited to read since this one was so short and sweet:
A Penny Per Rock- The Original Side Hustle
The Hedonic Treadmill and Pursuing Happiness
The Snowball Effect of Life Optimization