I was sitting on a yoga mat in a studio during a sound bath when I first noticed it. The air wasn’t cold, or hot, it was like it was the same temperature as my skin, so I couldn’t even feel it surrounding me and it felt good.
As the outdoors started heating up this year, I tried being mindful while working in the yard and to come inside before overheating. As soon as I entered the house, it felt like walking into a freezer found in restaurant kitchens which was a shock to my senses. Living with my daughter, she liked the house to be cold, so we kept the thermostat set to 77℉, but living alone that was too cold, so I started playing around with the indoor temps.
This has been an interesting journey as we humans love our comfort levels. Personally, I think comfort can be overrated and am of the mindset, “If you’re comfortable in life, you’re probably sitting still.”
I began by increasing the thermostat one degree at a time and allowed my skin to become acclimated to the difference. Moving it from 78° to 80° with ease, but when I nudged it past 80℉ my flesh started having fits. It took more time to become acclimated to more than 80° as an indoor temp, but it finally stuck in August and 82° became my new normal. Now when I enter my home, the air doesn’t hit you like a block of ice. Instead, it welcomes you in.
A large part of this experiment came once I knew I had nothing to lose. The outdoor, central heating and air conditioning unit has been slowing dying for years, so I decided to go easy on it, in hopes of it not dying in mid-August. My landlord was aware and began having people come out to give estimates. He chose a company and they arrived at my home on Saturday morning. They worked fast and efficiently and continually promised to have cool air moving into the house shortly. I wasn’t bothered, the indoor temp was holding steady at 81°, so all was good.
Once the new unit installation was complete, the man in charge asked me to turn it on and set it to 70° so it would get good and cold. I didn’t obey his wishes and set it to 80° instead, but when it reached 80°, it felt too cold, so I popped it back up to 82°. I want to test myself in a similar way this winter with the cold.
What temperature determines your comfort level? For now, mine seems to be 82 degrees.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.