Have You Ever Jumped Into Ice-Cold Water?

Have you seen athletes dip into an ice bath after a hard workout? Are you familiar with a polar bear plunge, when people celebrate New Year’s Day — or raise money for a charity — by swimming in a frigid lake or ocean? Do either of these activities appeal to you?

When you encounter a cold-water swimming pool, do you jump in? When you go to a beach, lake or river with chilly water, do you stay dry?

Some people find that plunging into cold water brings them certain mental health benefits. Does that make sense to you?

In “A Cold Plunge for a Mental Boost,” Rhiannon Picton-James writes about Mental Health Swims, a nonprofit group that holds year-round gatherings at cold bodies of water:

On a chilly Saturday morning in early October, a group of women who had traveled from across the United Kingdom met up at one of the many swimming ponds in Hampstead Heath, a rambling public park in north London.

They are all members of the nonprofit group Mental Health Swims, which holds year-round gatherings at chilly lakes, rivers and coastlines. The group was formed around the notion that plunging into cold water eases mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

This cold-water swimming community had recently reached an important milestone, their two-year anniversary, and it was the first time many of the women had ever met in person.

The science behind cold-water plunges and mental health isn’t robust enough to convince many in the medical community that it’s anything more than a placebo, but Dr. Mark Harper, who sits on the board of Mental Health Swims, is working on clinical trials.

The group’s founder is Rachel Ashe, 35, a mother of two who suffers from borderline personality disorder and P.T.S.D. “I advertised my swim; I did these videos telling people if you’re manic, if you’re depressed, if you’re dissociating — come, and I will be kind to you.”

During Covid-19 lockdowns, the women took ice-water plunges in recycling bins, bath tubs and children’s paddling pools to keep up their practice, and checked in on each other via Zoom chats.

Vicki Carter, 59, has a podcast called “Swim Out,” where she discusses open-water swimming. She swam the English Channel in 2019. “After the death of my son I had a nervous breakdown. When you’re in the cold water, you can’t think of anything else but how cold you are.”

Lauren Holt, 28, discovered this year that she is autistic. “Swimming doesn’t rely on how you socially interact, what you say and eye contact. It’s much easier for me to let all the other things melt away when I’m in the water.”

Students, read the entire article and look at the photographs, then tell us:

• Have you ever participated in a cold-water plunge? What was your experience? If you haven’t participated before, would you ever consider doing so? Why or why not?

• How do you feel when you encounter cold water — whether an ice-cold drink, a cold shower or a frigid swimming pool? Do you find it refreshing? Do you recoil at the cold? Use descriptive words to describe how your body reacts.

• What is your reaction to the words and photographs in the story?

• If plunging into cold water is not something you have tried or if it doesn’t bring you mental clarity or relief, what group or solo activities do you do to ease stress, anxiety, depression or just for fun?

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Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.