Roula, a 60-year-old writer with Lyme disease, describes how the Wim Hof Method's breathing exercises and 30-second cold showers cleared her brain fog and fatigue. She credits the practice with shifting her from feeling defined by illness to feeling unbreakable.
Chapters
Can we, can you start? Hi, my name is Roula. I'm 60 years old. I have Lyme disease and it's hard at times to start the day and to do things as it causes confusion in my brain. I'm a writer and this means that I have to have a lot of focus. And having Lyme disease, it's very, very hard to do that because Lyme gets into the brain and then it's like mushy and cloudy and frustrating and very, very tiring. Before starting this course, I was so sick I couldn't take the plane to come over. My son said to me, he said, "Mom, you're so ill, please cancel, stay at home." And I said, "No." And I came and I'm doing it. It's been hard. It takes longer times for me because I am not very well. But I feel every time I do a breathing or a cold shower, even if it's like a 30-second cold shower, I feel better. So it's pushed me to continue. It's given me such good feelings in moments where I was not feeling well. What I find is that by each week in the course, like from the week 1 I started, it was like an illumination. I had a lot of fears of, oh, I'm not going to be up to it. Maybe I can't do the whole episode. Maybe I cannot hold my breath for this much time. But what I did and helped me a lot was that, okay, I don't compare myself to anybody. I just step on and I just do whatever I can. So while everybody in the episode were doing their thing, if they breathe like very deep and whatever, and I could not do that, I just did my own thing. And this helped me a lot. We don't need to take it to the extreme, but applying one bit or the other bit is helpful for all of us. I'm a proof. Just doing the little things The little push-ups, the little plank, and just moving my body in a way that keeps it flexible. I feel Wim Hof Method has given me the strength to just go forward and to say, no, I'm not just Lyme. I'm not just a 60-year-old. Age doesn't exist. Yes, the body goes a bit, and it has its rigidity, and— But it's not that. I feel just like hopping under a cold shower when I open my eyes in the morning. It just gives me this "Woo! Yes, it's true!" and I can go on. It's a life experience that goes on and on and on, and I will not stop. I will not stop. Because I have seen what it has done to me. This builds confidence. It has built confidence in me. Taking a cold shower has built confidence in me. It has given me the feeling that I am unbreakable. This is my invitation to all of you out there who are looking at this and watching this: just allow yourself to be who you are, to be the strength and the power that you are, because you are strong inside. So go for it. That would be what I would say. And enjoy, have fun.
