Research has shown that strenuous exercise benefits not only the body but the mental and emotional states as well. A growing number of studies suggest that just eleven minutes of cold water exposure a week—whether through cold showers or plunge tanks—can boost the immune system, improve the body’s stress response, and increase endorphins, which affects happiness.
The physical and emotional benefits of doing hard things are clear and documented. But there’s another benefit we often overlook:
When we choose hard things, when we schedule them into our lives (and follow through), we prepare ourselves for the unexpected and unavoidable inconveniences and struggles ahead.
With every willful act, we prove to our present and future selves how capable we truly are. We establish a kind of muscle memory necessary for resilience.
And this applies to more than fitness. It’s the hard conversations we tend to avoid, the risks we seldom take. Doing hard things on purpose allows us to handle hard things when they show up unannounced.
I’d love to know how you see it. Join me in the comments!