I’ve been open water swimming for around five years now, and it’s something I genuinely love. The rhythm of swimming, the sense of flow, the feeling of being held by the water rather than battling it. Over time, it has become familiar, even comforting, despite the cold, the changing seasons, and the unpredictability that comes with swimming outdoors.
At the end of 2025, I decided to try something different: cold water dipping.
When I agreed to go on my first dip, I didn’t really think about the differences between dipping and swimming. Because I was already comfortable in cold water, it didn’t feel like a huge leap. But what I didn’t anticipate was just how different the experience would be, or how much more mentally challenging cold water dipping would feel compared to swimming.
I’ve now been dipping weekly for the last six weeks, starting in late December. I can confirm that beginning cold water dipping in the depths of winter is not the gentle introduction I might recommend to others. The air temperature is low, and the water is often colder still. Most of my dips to date have been in the River Leithen, just a ten-minute walk from home. Familiar water, familiar ground, but a completely new relationship with it.
Swimming vs Dipping: Same Water, Very Different Experience
What surprised me most is how much harder dipping feels than swimming.
When you swim, there’s momentum. You move through the water, your body generates heat, and after the initial cold shock, you often settle into a rhythm. Cold water dipping is the opposite. You are still. Exposed. Fully present. Without the movement of swimming to carry you forward, every sensation is amplified.
It strips everything back to that first step into the water, leaving you with nothing but the cold, your breath, and yourself. It demands attention, awareness, and respect.
For me, it has demanded far more mental strength than I ever imagined. A constant internal dialogue, just to get myself immersed.
I can get into the water and cope with the cold, but only by taking it slowly. Walking in step by step, giving my body time to register that something very different is happening, and allowing it the space to adjust. Getting in to just above the knees is fine. Manageable.
The next stage is up to the waist, which is where things become significantly less comfortable. Let’s be honest, immersing your lady bits in freezing cold water is not particularly pleasant. I imagine it’s the female equivalent of “freezing your nuts off”. It’s a sharp, unmistakable reminder that cold water doesn’t negotiate.
After that comes the hardest part for me: lowering myself until only my head is above the water. That moment is tough. It has taken a lot of self-coaching, talking myself through each step, calming my mind, and focusing on my breathing.
At that point, I have to be fully present. Completely tuned into my body, the sensations I’m feeling, and breathing steadily through the experience.
Approaching cold water dipping in a considered and responsible way is essential. It’s not about being gung-ho and trying to get the pain over with as quickly as possible. In fact, that kind of approach can significantly increase the risk of turning the experience into a dangerous situation.
Cold Water Shock: What It Is and Why It Matters
There is a real risk with cold water immersion, and it’s important not to gloss over that. Cold water shock is a physiological response that can happen within seconds of entering cold water.
When your body is suddenly immersed, particularly in water below around 15°C, your breathing can become rapid and uncontrolled. You may gasp or hyperventilate, your heart rate can spike, muscles can tense, and panic can set in if you’re not prepared for that response.
This is why entering slowly, controlling your breathing, and never forcing yourself under is so important. It’s also why dipping with others, choosing familiar locations, checking weather conditions, and avoiding alcohol beforehand all matter. Cold water shock is one of the main risks, but it’s also one that can be managed with knowledge, preparation, and respect for the water.
For me, understanding this didn’t remove the fear entirely. In fact, being so aware of the risks, combined with the physical sensation of immersion, created many of the mental barriers I had to work hard to overcome. I wanted to be responsible and informed, but also find a way to move through the fear and enjoy the experience.
The Mental Challenge I Didn’t Expect
This was one of the biggest surprises for me: just how much anxiety cold water dipping brought up.
Not just fear of the cold itself, but worry about what could go wrong. I hadn’t realised how much mental energy I was spending imagining worst-case scenarios. That realisation was confronting and made me reflect on how I approach risk and challenge more broadly.
Cold water dipping has forced me to slow down and really listen to my internal narrative. To notice where fear is protective and where it’s holding me back. To ask myself whether I’m responding to real risk or imagined outcomes.
That process of self-reflection has been uncomfortable at times, but also deeply revealing.
The Ritual of Preparation
Preparation has become an essential part of the experience.
Before every dip, there’s a quiet checklist: warm layers ready, dry clothes laid out in the right order, towel and dry robe within reach, woolly hat and gloves close by. A hot water bottle tucked into a bag. A flask filled with something warm. Footwear that’s easy to get on quickly. Everything is thought through in advance of the dip.
And there is a very valid reason for this; it’s not about fussiness, it’s about safety.
The dip itself is only one part of the overall experience. In many ways, it’s the halfway point. Getting out of the water and warming up safely requires the same strong connection between mind and body that allowed you to immerse in the first place. You have to stay just as focused and just as aware when you leave the water and begin the warming-up process.
Once you step out, your body doesn’t immediately start to warm up. In fact, your core temperature can continue to fall for up to 30 to 45 minutes, a process known as afterdrop. Wet skin cools quickly in cold air or wind, and the body may not generate heat fast enough to counteract that drop. If you’re not prepared, this can lead to intense shivering, dizziness, and in more serious cases, hypothermia. Understanding this has completely changed how I approach every dip.
Getting dry and warm quickly and calmly is essential. Pulling on dry layers, wrapping up, covering your head and hands, and sipping something warm all help your body restore circulation and recover gradually. It’s not about rushing or shocking your system, but about controlled, deliberate rewarming.
Staying present through this phase matters. The same awareness you bring to your breathing in the water is needed as you warm up on the bank, listening carefully to how your body is responding and giving it what it needs. When you do that, the experience doesn’t end abruptly at the river’s edge. It closes properly, safely, and with care.
What Happens to the Body in Cold Water
When you immerse yourself in cold water, your body enters a stress response. Blood vessels near the skin constrict to protect vital organs, heart rate increases, and breathing can become shallow or rapid. Over time, with controlled exposure, the body can adapt, but the stress response never disappears entirely.
This response is part of why people report benefits such as improved mood, increased alertness, and mental clarity afterwards. The release of endorphins and adrenaline can feel energising, even euphoric. But it’s also why caution is essential. Prolonged exposure, especially for beginners, increases the risk of hypothermia and afterdrop.
Benefits and Risks: Holding Both
There’s a lot of discussion around the benefits of cold water dipping, from improved circulation and reduced inflammation to mental resilience and mood regulation. I’ve experienced some of those benefits myself, particularly a sense of calm and quiet accomplishment afterwards.
But it’s important to hold the risks alongside the benefits. Cold water dipping isn’t about bravado or pushing through discomfort at all costs. It’s about respect. Respect for your body, the conditions, and your limits on any given day.
The Role of Community
I don’t do this alone.
I dip with Aoife and Aneela, and more recently Amy. The A Team. Dipping with these women has been a huge part of what’s kept me going. They are supportive, kind, and fun, and they make the whole experience lighter, even on days when I’d much rather stay in bed with a cup of tea.
Our little group brings accountability, encouragement, shared laughter, and safety. Dipping alone is not advisable, particularly in winter conditions. Doing it together creates an instant support network, and turning up for one another really matters.
Fear, Growth, and Stepping Beyond Comfort
One of the most interesting reflections for me has been how closely this experience mirrors building a business.
I found myself thinking about my approach to risk well beyond the time spent in the water. Cold water dipping made me reflect on how I face challenge, uncertainty, and fear in other areas of my life, in business and day-to-day situations.
Cold water dipping has forced me to examine the balance between fear and ambition. Between staying safe and staying small. Between listening to caution and allowing it to become a barrier.
Founding, building, and scaling a business isn’t about reckless risk-taking. It’s about considered risk. Understanding what could go wrong, preparing for it, and stepping forward anyway. Cold water dipping feels surprisingly similar.
It’s not about eliminating fear, but about understanding it. Learning when to heed it and when to gently challenge it. I was reminded yet again of the first piece of advice I was given as an entrepreneur: get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The same is true of dipping.
Cold water dipping hasn’t been easy. It’s been humbling, challenging, and unexpectedly emotional at times. But it’s also been grounding. A reminder that resilience isn’t loud. It’s built quietly, through preparation, awareness, and the courage to keep showing up.
In cold water, in business, and in everyday life, strength is often found by stepping forward with care.
I’ve decided take part in...
Sunday Inspiration
If you haven’t heard of Gilly McArthur, I’d really recommend looking her up. She’s an inspiring woman, and her podcast gives a great perspective on why cold water dipping resonates so strongly for many women.
Inspiration Quote
An extraction from ‘She Let Go’ a Poem by Rev. Safire Rose.
Favourite Song
I heard this song in a tv series over the Christmas holidays and really loved it, and have gone on to listen to more of this artist's work, which I am really enjoying. It also coincides with my cold water dipping start, so it feels very connected to that time and my experience!
