Some Hygiene Ideas When It Seems Hard
You aren’t alone if the act of having a shower, or brushing your teeth seems extra daunting, draining or just outright impossible.
There are no magic fixes, but here are some tips that might be useful to you.
Brushing your teeth may seem impossible! And that’s so valid. Here’s the thing, sometimes we can ditch the regular “rules” and do what we need. Some things that help me:
Keeping a toothbrush and toothpaste in the shower. I find it so much easier to brush my teeth while I’m already in the shower with the water running.
Brushing for 30 seconds is better than nothing! You don’t have to do the entire two minutes.
If you can afford it, an electric toothbrush can help.
You can brush your teeth with water! No, really. It’s better than nothing. Dampen your toothbrush with a bit of water and brush your teeth!
I don’t know about you, but having a shower is the most daunting task there is for me. It is so exhausting to even think about. Here are some ideas to make it easier.
For me, it’s what happens after the shower that is draining. It makes it a bit easier for me to get my clothes ready, have my towel laid out, and anything else I need.
Having my favourite smelling body wash and shampoo is so nice, and there’s a part of me that wants to shower just to use them.
Don’t Focus on Washing Yourself.
This sounds weird, but hear me out a bit. Focusing on it as a task we have to do may make it more exhausting. It might sound silly, but for me, I imagine the shower is a waterfall or rain that is “washing away” some of my bad thoughts, feelings and helping me lighten the load. I focus on turning it into a calm experience.
You can also just focus on standing in the water, and not actually washing yourself. It’s still likely to help you feel more clean!
Tips for Both Brushing Your Teeth & Showering
For me, sometimes I call a friend and stay on the phone with them until I actually get in the shower. This can help in the “pre shower” ritual and make it seem less intimidating. I have also kept a friend on the phone while I brushed my teeth.
An alternative is that sometimes I find a friend who also finds the act of showering or brushing their teeth super draining, and we make a pact to do it at the same time and then we text each other when it’s time and both go do what we need to do. We then come back and text each other and tell each other “good job!” This is kind of like an accountability buddy.
I find that playing music helps, especially if it’s music that makes me feel a bit pumped up.
Focus on One Step at a Time
I find the whole idea of showering and/or brushing my teeth exhausting. There are so many steps to showering between getting undressed, getting the water on, washing my hair etc… I find that sometimes it can help to just focus on one step at a time and not the whole picture. What do I need to do first? For me, I need to turn the water on because it takes a few minutes to heat up. So I’ll focus on one thing at that moment, just turning the water on. That’s all I have to do. And then I go from there and see if I can work my way through the steps without looking at the “big” picture.
Alternatives to Help Feel Clean
Some days, we just can’t do it. And that’s okay! Here are some alternatives to help you feel clean:
Get some baby wipes or other wipes to use
Have a bath! (Use a bath bomb, bubble bath, something to make it feel pampering instead of like a task. A bath is much easier to put on an audio book, or even a show to keep you occupied).
Remember that not being able to take care of your hygiene does not affect your worth! You are still worthy, even when you aren’t able to do the things you need/want to do.
