Before college, I would have simply dismissed the idea of taking an ice-cold shower. I thought that was reserved for the die-hards, the masochists who liked to be uncomfortable. But not even one week into college, I found myself among those who were taking daily cold showers.
Cold showers aren't as bad as they sound. Well, I'll be honest. The first time you take one, it is pretty bad. But every subsequent shower gets progressively easier. Nothing about the water temperature has changed. The water was just as cold a month ago as it was this morning. But mentally, your brain has learned that the physical threat perceived was indeed not a serious danger after all. Cold showers even become warm after you've stood in there for several minutes. So...why all the fuss about cold showers?
In this article, I want to talk about adapting. Human beings are adaptive creatures. Once you find a routine, you'll notice that your brain streamlines your life. I witnessed this first hand as the consequence of coming to college this semester.
After being home for the better part of almost one year due to a remote semester of high school, and a remote first semester of college, I was itching to get out and experience the world outside the bounds of my local neighborhood. But it turned out that those first couple of weeks would be a crucial transition period for me before I started to vibe with the drastically different world of college.
Actually, it's kind of funny. I never thought I would have been the type to get homesick, ever. Yet within the first couple of weeks, I started to really feel out of place. I felt like I was in a dream, wandering through the weird daily activities that college life entails. It was like stepping into your first cold shower. The contrast between the warm air and the cold water is so drastic, and for that first period of adjustment, you are just struggling to stay in there.
But, as we know by now, humans are adaptive creatures. The cold water will feel warm eventually. The alien feeling of college life soon began to grow on me, and before I knew it, almost an entire month had passed, and I was seriously beginning to enjoy the opportunities of freedom and independence that college offered.
I've come to learn that when it comes to anything in life, the very notion of being human means that we will adapt and become comfortable with anything over time. They say that comfort kills, so I guess we should switch things up before we get too cozy wherever we are. But for those of you out there who are feeling out of place, or down for the count, just know that in the end, everything will be okay. Stick through it, and let the power of the human body work its wonders.
Oh, and don't forget to smile and live life. Cheers, my fellow hoomans.
