Most people spend their lives running away from the elements. We crank up the heater in winter, hide in the air conditioning in summer, and carry umbrellas to shield us from the rain. We are taught that comfort is the goal.
But I’ve learned a secret: resilience doesn't live in the comfort zone.
Instead of resisting the seasons, I’ve started "traveling with them." Here is how I use nature’s extremes and a radical quarterly reset to keep my mind sharp and my "internal glass" from breaking.
The "Hot Glass" Theory
Think about a hot glass. If you drop a single bead of ice-cold water on it, what happens? The glass shatters.
Our brains are the same. When we live in a state of constant, fragile "comfort," we become brittle. A sudden deadline, a holiday stressor, or a change in plans becomes that cold drop of water that breaks us. To prevent this, I’ve developed a way to keep my "glass" flexible through intentional exposure.
1. Thermal Alignment: The Shower Hack
I don't just "endure" the weather; I mirror it.
In Winter: I take cold showers. By exposing my body to the cold, my mind stops perceiving the external temperature as a threat. It keeps me active and alert while others are feeling the "winter blues."
In Summer: I take hot showers. By aligning my internal temperature with the heat outside, I remove the "shock" of the sun. I stay calm and unbothered while the world feels like a furnace.
2. The 90-Day Circuit Breaker
Human energy isn't meant to be a flat line for 365 days. Static builds up. To clear it, I follow a strict 90-day rhythm: Every three months, I take a 5–7 day "Reactivation Break."
I don't wait for burnout to hit; I reboot the system before it crashes. And when I go, I go where the weather is most intense:
Winters: The peak cold of the Himalayas.
Summers: The scorching deserts of Kutch or Rajasthan.
Monsoons: Trekking through the relentless rains of Karnataka.
3. Radical Immersion: Living Without Subtitles
During these resets, I follow one rule: No plans. I just leave.
I stay with locals and eat local food. But the most important part of my mental training is watching movies in the original local language—without subtitles.
People ask, "How do you understand it?" I listen to the tone. I watch the emotion. I observe the environment. By removing the "subtitles" of my life—the scripts, the plans, the familiar comforts—I force my brain to expand its lens. I build new perspectives that I can bring back to my real-world problems.
The Takeaway: Travel With the Rhythm
Resilience isn't about having a perfect plan for when things go wrong. It's about training your mind to be okay when there is no plan.
This holiday season, don't just try to "survive" the cold or the stress. Try to travel with it. Find your own version of a "cold shower" or a "90-day reset." When you stop fighting the season you’re in, you’ll find you have the power to reactivate through anything.
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