Thank you so much, Marianne! Please don’t look at the cold exposure as an all-or-nothing thing right out of the gate. You certainly don’t have to immediately jump into a freezing stream. You can spend time slowly acclimating yourself to the change in temperature. I spent several years just doing cold showers before doing a full plunge. And, I really feel the showers provided a lot of benefit, both mentally and physically.

You can start just by slightly decreasing the temperature right at the end of your shower, maybe count to 30 while the water is just a little colder than you are comfortable with. Just keep pushing yourself a little bit at a time. It sounds like you already have a sense that it's something that would help your discomfort.

If you do decide to give it a try, please let me know. I wish you luck!