In the midst of winter, we make our own sunshine.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."

Camus's1954 essay is really a reminder of the inevitability of the polarity of life.

Most of my adult life I tried to escape the UK winter, heading to South East asia early in December. Returning reluctantly late January.

Winter felt sad, dark and lonely. Learning to embrace this cyclical seasonal process has been once of the greatest reframes of my life. Today laughing my tits in the icy loch awakens my senses, dampens arthritic flare-up and I feel alive. It's been personally transformational.

My recent move to the Western Highlands of Scotland was motivated by my love of outdoor swimming. After 55 years of city living I love fighting to breathe as I enter the freezing loch. It's my way of connecting to the invincible summer within.

When my natural state begins to run dark near the end of October I am blessed with a sudden drop in the temperature of the loch. As Katherine May suggests life is not about "defeating the natural forces of sadness, death, the dark" but to "learn to live with them." I would go further...to learn to EMBRACE them.

Loch Eck, arguably the most beautiful Loch in Scotland.

Cold water immersion tips

• Subjects the body to extreme stress and you have to dig deep to find a calm spot within, the mechanism for this is harnessing the breath. As we know breathwork is a practice and the more resistance we offer the breath the more we can build resilience into out nervous system.

• Can reduce fat within the body. This requires immersion for a significant period of time to the point where we begin to shake. It takes less time in moving water such as swiming in the sea or lake.

• Increases adrenaline after a period of time. We get that wonderful hit and everything feels a little more heightened and alive.

• Tends to draw groups together. It's a leveller for people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together in a very naked and human way. This promotes connection, bonding and the release of oxytocin and makes us feel cosy and loved.

• Puts us back into nature. Nature has a way of drawing out our Nature. We let go of who we think we should be and come back to who we truly are beneath the mask. A moment in our relaxed state free from tension we carry in our body and mind is an experience that we can repeat. The more we do this, the harder it is to want to be any other way.

• Is free or definitely not expensive.