Last month, AnnaLynne McCord opened up about her mental health struggles, revealing that she was diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder.
Now, the 33-year-old actress shared on Instagram that she deals with her anxiety by taking ice baths.
McCord posted two different videos on Instagram, showing herself calmly resting in a bath with a water temperature at 42 degrees. She captioned the first video, “Holy Shit, y’all! I broke 20:00 min.”
Explaining why she is doing it in the first place, McCord wrote, “Supports #MentalHealth #AntiAnxiety (continued cold exposure combined with holotropic breathwork has been studied and found to support the decrease of depression, rumination, mood instability, and excessive cortisol and adrenaline production) activates vascular system, boosts immune system and a whole helluva lotta other amazing stuff **also makes you HIGH AF.”
She also said that she is “built up to this over time” after starting her cold-water therapy in October 2020.
In another post, McCord said she decided to try taking ice baths for anxiety after reading the book called “The Ice Man Speaks” by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, who has built up his endurance to withstand extreme temperatures.
The 90210 actress said, “THE BREATH IS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT PART, IT FUELS THE BODY TO PRODUCE HEAT. So I keep breathing throughout my cold exposure period whenever I need a heat boost.”
“I use my mind to thank my amazing vascular system for warming me from the inside out, and I’m its biggest cheerleader, cheering my body on,” she added. “And I don’t care if this seems bizarre. Who cares? It works.”
“I LISTEN TO MY BODY…I do not overstay my welcome in the cold,” she said. “When in doubt, I ‘breathe muthf*cka.’”
Research does not support cold-water therapy but some mental health experts believe there could be some benefit.
Psychologist John Mayer told Health, “In the early days of mental health, prior to the discovery of psychotropic medications, this was a standard practice in mental hospitals.”
Mayer is the creator of the podcast Anxiety’s a B!tch. Psychologist Alicia Clark, who is the author of Hack Your Anxiety, said cold water in general, even just splashed on your face, can lower your blood pressure and slow your breathing, two things that can also help reduce anxiety levels, according to Health.
