{"id":3976,"date":"2021-06-13T00:24:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-13T05:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2023-02-18T00:15:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T05:15:50","slug":"taking-shower-help-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/taking-shower-help-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Taking a Bath or Shower Help Anxiety? (Hot vs Cold)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a long day, many people enjoy to relieve stress with a hot shower or bath. Others prefer hopping into a cold shower or bath to start their day feeling energized and positive. But can taking a bath or shower help anxiety?<\/p>\n

For many people, taking a shower can help reduce anxiety or stop a panic attack. Both showers and baths are types of hydrotherapy, and each has the potential to boost mood and promote stress relief. Both cold and hot showers can reduce anxiety, although they work in different ways. <\/strong><\/p>\n

While it seems that just about any temperature can have benefits, it\u2019s important to understand which may be the best option for you. Read on to learn more and make an educated decision.<\/p>\n

However you decide to shower for anxiety relief, you\u2019ll want to combine the practice with our other recommended steps for anxiety relief<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Can Taking a Shower Help Anxiety?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most of us will feel tangibly more relaxed and less stressed out after a shower or bath. But can taking a bath or shower help anxiety?<\/p>\n

Research confirms<\/strong><\/a> what many of us had already expected: Taking a shower lowers stress. Knowing this, it isn\u2019t much of a leap to infer that a bath or shower could also help to reduce anxiety levels.  <\/p>\n

Taking a Hot Shower for Anxiety or Panic Attacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Quick personal story here.<\/p>\n

When I had my very first couple of panic attacks, I was only about 15 years old or so. I had never heard of a panic attack before, and was so scared of the physical symptoms that I was convinced I was going to die. Needless to say, I didn\u2019t know any methods for reducing anxiety<\/strong><\/a>. I didn\u2019t know about breathwork, meditation, or grounding techniques.<\/p>\n

One thing I remember about these first few panic attacks was just how helpless they left me feeling. They would often come in waves, and in-between the panic attacks I\u2019d feel shaken up and exhausted. Not knowing what to do or where to go to calm down, I wound up finding respite in an unlikely place…<\/p>\n

You guessed it: A Hot Shower or Bath. <\/strong><\/p>\n

There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. Whenever I’m sad I’m going to die, or so nervous I can’t sleep, or in love with somebody I won’t be seeing for a week, I slump down just so far and then I say: ‘I’ll go take a hot bath.’<\/p>\n

Sylvia Plath<\/strong>– American Poet and Writer<\/span><\/p>\n

I was already the one in my family known for taking 20-minute showers and irritating everyone else. I found the solitude and hot water relaxing. Since I didn\u2019t even know what meditation was back then, this was the closest I could come to a meditative experience.<\/p>\n

I quickly learned that a hot shower was a sort of \u201csafe space\u201d for me. Weird as it sounds, this is<\/em> the place most of us can be our most relaxed and vulnerable. It\u2019s also where we really get a chance to put the world on pause and enjoy some introspection.<\/strong> Long, hot showers for anxiety can be one of the easiest and most straight-forward ways to destress and unwind.<\/p>\n

A study on college students<\/strong><\/a> found that those who felt more lonely or socially isolated actually took longer, warmer showers or baths. This suggests a very real and tangible benefit to physical warmth as a substitute for social warmth; we naturally use hot showers and baths as \u201cself-therapy.\u201d Just like a warm blanket or a hug from a friend, a hot shower for anxiety can work wonders.<\/p>\n

 Benefits of a Hot Shower on Anxiety<\/h3>\n