We ask Rosie Marcel: Why do you keep going back to the ice?

“I try to go in three times a week. I had a period over the summer where I didn’t get in much because of childcare. It was pure hell! And that’s the time when you need it the most. I was kind of neglecting myself a little bit by paying so much attention to my daughter and not paying enough attention to me. 

What keeps me going back in is the benefits of it. It’s really easy to make an excuse not to get in. I’ll water the plants. I’ll feed the dogs. I’ll do all sorts of sh*t before I get in, and I haven’t quite got to the point where I’m no longer making excuses, but I WILL get in, and it’s the instant benefit. I know my triggers now, as far as my depression goes. I have and de-personalisation disorder. I had a nervous breakdown many years ago and I’m very good at noticing when I need to get in. My husband’s really good at noticing when I need to get in. But it’s the fact that it’s keeping this sh*tty, nasty depression and disease at bay, and so there won’t be a time I don’t go in.

Even if I’m away, it will be a cold shower. I have to. It’s the power of what it does for me. And it is the dopamine you feel afterwards. It’s quite unexplainable unless you’ve done it. It wakes you up. It breaks you out of the monotony and the routine of stress. It’s that moment to centre yourself and feel like “Yes, I can do this!” I mean when you get out you are RED! But it’s the most incredible feeling. It’s wonderful.  

Showering or filling your bath with water and ice is a great way to start if you dont't already have an ice bath or cold plunge. Some people even find the baths easier than the shower, especially in the winter. With a bath you can slowly enter, but with a shower, the water kind of splutters all over you.”