Comment by alfanick | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alfanick | Hacker News Reader

Anecdotal data [on sample of one, me]: while I don't think I can warm myself with my mind, I clearly can ignore cold.

I feel it's cold, but it's not uncomfortable or painful for me. I'm doing this daily since hmm 10 or more years - walking in shorts, t-shirt, almost all year long (something longer if it's cold, cold meaning less than -15C or less than -3C and extremely windy). Similar story with rain - just get wet, it's fine. Hiking, running in one layer instead of 3 layers as most folks would do... It helps me with overheating which I tend to a lot. I have also a simple recipe if I'm actually feeling cold - just do whatever you do faster (your muscles generate a lot of heat as a by-product), no need for extra layers. Lately I also monitor my core body temperature when doing any kind of activities - definitely not getting cold inside even though I'm "underdressed" by popular opinion. (Note I'm also not a risk taker, so in extreme conditions I always have some backup layers with me, in case "do whatever you do faster" method could not be implemented anymore).

I wouldn't give anyone any advice out of this though, I'm not a medical professional.

The human body can get used to a lot if you work up to it.

Every fall and winter I make a point of letting myself get a little cold, and as a result I'm much more comfortable through the winter. It's a nice superpower to have.

We live in a society obsessed with comfort but it's good to make yourself uncomfortable from time to time.

How much of this is just acclimation?

Anecdote time. In college in FL, I met a fella from one of the northern M states. First winter down here he was in shorts and t-shirts and the rest of us had jackets and coats. Time goes on and his first summer down here I see him and he looks a hot mess, like someone dumped a bucket of water on him (now, in FL there's humidity so you're sweat doesn't work. This was ... worse. He was sweating like crazy) and I asked, "you okay?" He replied, it's the fucking heat, man! Time goes on and it's winter again. Now he's in pants and a jacket or coat (depending on temp) and I'm like, you cold? He's all, fuck yeah! I told him the Florida summer will do that to you. Makes the cold intolerable.

Winter surfing taught me to tolerate the cold.

That movie endless summer has it backwards. Surfing almost everywhere is better in the winter. It's just that winter in Hawaii is pretty warm.

Where I live we surf in the great lakes in late winter, starting about now actually till end of April.

While you're in the water with a wetsuit, it's not too bad. Water can't get too far below 0ºC but the air temperatures are often way below freezing, and the windchill can be brutal, because lake surfing is dependent on wind.

Getting out of my 5mm wet-suit in a parking lot in February taught me what it really means to be cold.

Since then, conditions I would have thought of as cold are much more tolerable.

Now if I have to take out the trash in the winter and there's fresh clean snow on the ground, instead of wrestling with winter boots I just go barefoot.

The secret to not feeling cold is that when you're cold, just let yourself be cold through and through. Don't fight it.

> The secret to not feeling cold is that when you're cold, just let yourself be cold through and through. Don't fight it.

This is exactly what I do too, and I've talked to people who approach the cold in the same way. However, I've also found it completely impossible to teach, and a statement like the above just makes people angry unless they already understand what it feels like to do it. (Especially if you try to tell them while you're already out in the cold.)

I have the same thing; I can focus and just ignore the cold or the heat. I guess practicing focus and lucid dreaming (both require mental discipline I think) where good for something.

With heat unfortunately I cannot do as much as with cold - I need moreless two weeks in the heat to acclimate correctly and then my performance is somewhere close to non-hot-weather performance (I'm a runner). But unfortunately at some moment this also stops working when I'm doing some very high effort - active cooling is required (aka splash yourself with water, ice etc). In some conditions (especially hot+humid) human built-in active cooling mechanism also doesn't work well - sweating is awesome, but sweat no longer evaporates effectively in humid conditions. I also say it's easier in cold - you could always put more clothes on you if need them, but in the heat? There is only as much clothes as you can take off.

I'd agree it's somehow mental discipline - I can also ignore pain, it's there, but well I don't have to act on it, it does not have to have any reaction. It used to be a cool party trick back when I was a teenager... Again, not a medical professional, if you experience pain, it's body trying to tell you something is wrong, most likely you should listen to it.

Are you me?

I started doing this in elementary school, and ever since, I've been pretty much unbothered by the cold. Even if it drops well below freezing I'm comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt. I don't even get goosebumps.

Unless I'm very hungry at the same time. Then the cold can start to get to me.

Anecdotal data and experimental data of sample of 5.

Yes it is possible to ignore cold.

Not the wim method but something else.

Also possible to teach another person to ignore cold within a few minutes.

Did it on a bus and they were able to do it almost immediately.

Was a fun experiment.

any youtube videos you would suggest?

I have this thought that your mindset will affect your sensitivity and body reaction.

If you're eager for something, the cons feel less so, and it probably triggers a positive reaction. When outside in the cold, if I'm mentally low, I start to crumple and shiver.. but when I'm up.. I don't care much and just move more so to get warmer.

This sounds like a dream to me. Feel like I can do the opposite: try to ignore heat while cold... I just start shaking.

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