The most relaxed feeling I know is after going back and forth between a super-hot pool and super-cold pool.
Stay in the super-hot pool until you can’t stand it.Then go in a super-cold pool until you can’t stand it.Repeat that a few times, and you’ve never felt so relaxed.
Today I went to the Löyly sauna in Helsinki, Finland.I stayed in the super-hot sauna room until I couldn’t stand it.Then I’d jump in the icy ocean until I couldn’t stand it.I went back and forth like this for almost two hours.It’s so wonderful.
There was also a medium-hot sauna room.I tried that for a while, but it just felt “eh” — neither here nor there — not as fulfilling or relaxing as the extremes.
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I like trying different ways to approach life.
I’ll maximize my input for a while — say yes to everything, meet everyone, go everywhere.Then I’ll maximize my output for a while — say no to everything, and just focus on my work.
I’ll do the domestic life for a while — with a house, car, dog, furniture, stocked kitchen, and stuff.Then I’ll give it all away, until I’m back to the one suitcase of the things I really need.
And yes, I tend to do each one until it feels like I can’t stand it anymore.
It’s fun to push the boundaries — to explore the edges — to see what I can do.I’ve never been interested in pursuing a normal life.There are enough people doing that.More growth and discovery seems to happen when I’m uncomfortable.
Some people think it’s strange, and ask why I feel the need to be so all-or-nothing.They ask why I don’t just find the middle ground.(Neither here nor there.)
But there’s something more fun and fulfilling about experiencing the more interesting extremes.Knowing I can live in these different scenarios is ultimately more relaxing.
