Before I go any further, I want to warn you about this. Don't try this at home. I'm a professional. I'm highly trained. This was done as part of a focused training programme in a safe environment. Now, with that out of the way, let's begin...

I'm sure you've heard the cold described as righteous and merciless. I'm sure you've heard it described as god. I'm sure you've heard it described as fecking cold. It can be all of those things.

We know the cold can be a force for good. We can use it to reshape our bodies and minds. We can use it to change how we feel and think for the better.

So, to help people understand this more deeply, Michelle Moroney (Wim Hof instructor, magnificent person, best-selling author and owner of the Cliffs of Moher Retreat) and I will be undertaking a daunting challenge early in the new year. It will involve spending weeks outside, hiking in just shorts. We can't say much more at the moment, but, I'll tell you the full story soon.

Anyway, I have been training for that challenge. I'm training my body (kettle bells) my mind (meditation) and of course spending more time in the cold.

And that brings us to yesterday morning...

Picture this: 150 litres of freezing water with 36kg of ice added in on top of it. I had to get in and stay there for 10 minutes submerged up to my neck.

This is what I learnt...

The mind has many levels
I noticed that my mind was working simultaneously on different levels as I got into the ice: on one level it was screaming: "get out! You'll never make it to 10 minutes!"

Another part of it was bringing up old memories from previous times in the cold. Another part of it was telling me how cold it felt.

But, within all that, there was another part that was telling me to focus purely on my breath. I listened to that part.

What I took from the experience: despite the chaos, despite the pressure of situations like this, if we focus on our breath, we can take control of how we feel and think. Have you experienced that?

The mind is a trickster
The moment I got in, I noticed my mind was obsessing about the time (this is a natural part of our fight and flight response to danger). My mind was trying to trick me into counting the time in my mind. It was trying to force me to guess how long was left. I had to disengage from that thought and put all my focus on my breath.

At times, I even used that tendency to my advantage: by saying, "Ah, I've only been in here for a minute so there's loads of time left" knowing that wasn't the case. It took the pressure off.

What I took from the experience: when under pressure, our minds slip into certain tendencies or ways of behaving. In the moment, it is hard to re-programme those tendencies. But, if we recognise what they are, we can use them to our advantage. What tendencies have you when under stress?

I also learnt a lot more. I'm still trying to absorb it all. The training continues. The cold continues to teach. The breath continues to show the way.

It's a great reminder: whatever challenge we face, we can use both the cold and our breath to get through it.

Lessons from the depths of an ice bath