It really is a battle of the mind. I believe the hardest part for me is just before I get in. Something I like to say is “It’s time to go to war” with the mind that is.
Yep, and it's normal. Our mind is designed to keep us safe at all time. Taking challenges like that triggers something in our mind to convince us not to do it (It's not safe). It's true for absolutely any area of life when we step out our comfort zone. Train the mind to extend this zone and we can move mountains.
Letting my son almost naked all the time whatever the season / weather. He doesn't like to wear clothes and I always let him run naked through the house and garden. On winter time, he will go outside in shorts and t-shorts. People were telling me I was a bad mother for not covering him up. Well, it turned out that he is never EVER sick, he has a body to die for lean and strong, and he is a very well balanced teenager now. So, that's my proudest, it's not really a moment, but a consistence in letting my son being the kid he wishes to be regarding temperature exposure. I'm not that easy-going for everything though.
@Alen Cvetko Yes, don't cover them up too much, they don't need it. I covered my son when I saw signs of hypothermia, such as lips starting to change color like blue-ish. Kids will never say they are cold if they are having fun BUT it can be dangerous. I have the same point of view on summertime. I don't put any sunscreen on him, instead, I make him wear a t-shirt and a hat if the sun is really hot, especially if he spends a long time in water. Freedom yes, but with caution.
At the moment, I don't have access to a clean river or anything to make cold baths. I used to use a horizontal freezer in France and it worked great. So I take cold showers every morning. It's very nice but for some reason, it feels colder and harder to step in than a much colder bath.
@Alen Cvetko It depends on the season! I like rivers because the water is generally pretty cold even on summertime. It depends where you are of course.
@Alen Cvetko Yes, I think it's because under the shower, there is also a air flow that makes it feel colder than it actually is, when, as you say, in a bath, we are completely covered like a blanket. However, the thermo-conductivity of water is much higher than the thermo-conductivity of air, but the association of both makes it feel colder.