Welcome everyone to the Polar Bear Club community section where we show you who we are and why we do what we do! Today, we have Jordan who has kindly shared his story with us.
My name is Jordan Bayley, I’m a 22 year old cocaine addict from South Lanarkshire.
I first became interested in Cold Water Therapy in late November 2022 when I began my recovery from drug addiction & alcoholism. I done some research with regards to what the health benefits I could find, mental rewards and how cold water generally makes you feel; all I can remember from the hours spent searching was that the only thing to do was give it at try and see how it went. I started out doing a cold shower when I woke up and my head told me to go get drugs, soon after within a week or so I was doing 2 cold showers a day just to feel good further down the line it was 3 times and day and I was 3 months clean & sober. My life changed when I joined the Polar Bears, through weeks of looking on Facebook I was put in touch with the group, as I was looking to purchase an IBC tank for the back garden and soon after I met my good friend John Mckechnie.
For me, the Polar Bear Club is a home from home. I suffered with bad anxiety through years of active addiction and I went to my first PBC dip at “The Church” at Clachan of Campsie & I was really welcomed by everyone. From there, I knew I was going to stick around. The Polar Bear Club has grown massively since I joined and there is a reason it’s one of the fastest growing cold water therapy group in the UK. We are here to help newcomers, encourage those who are lacking confidence and the biggest part for me was embracing the uncomfortable - I would only walk into water up until April, however with all the support and encouragement I’ve had I embraced what makes me uncomfortable and I’m always ready to take a jump into the water!
For me the benefits I’ve found from having a daily cold water practice be it a shower at home or a dip with friends (usually both), I’ve noticed an increase in mood, reduced inflammation in my body when I’ve had an injury or similar, I feel more awake every day, I don’t get unwell so much or feel “down”, I’m constantly high on life and walking around with a big smile on my face that lasts for hours on end. I used to struggle with sleeping, I now sleep soundly every night.
My advice to anybody who has an interest in trying cold water therapy would be a question; “what’s stopping you from doing it?” I was hesitant, but if I honestly knew how it would make me feel daily I’d have been doing this therapy for years! Come along to an event, or visit the Polar Bear Hub and take it at your own pace, enjoy the moment and I’m almost certain we’ll see you again very soon.
A typical cold water meeting with the PBC starts in my head weeks in advance and I eagerly await it, on the day of an event I’m usually very early and excited to see friends and share good times. The cold water is great, I get such a buzz helping people do what I absolutely love. At the big events we do barbecues, have a wee fire and everyone just chills out freely and I take great pleasure in it.
I feel the practice of cold water has saved my life well and truly, it’s not just the cold water, it’s this community and the people who make it as special as it is. I’m so fortunate to have met this group and have them cheering me on daily. It’s increased my confidence 100x over and I’ll be forever grateful to Kenny, Miro and the rest of the group for their support.
I’ll keep this simple by saying “Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can achieve today!”
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