I just read the majority of this thread, which I am likewise happy to have found. I've become increasingly stubborn to shower in the last few years, in which time I've been grieving the passing of the two people closest to me in my life, and have had the most severe bout of depression of my life. It started with only showering every other day, to every three days, it going sometimes a week these days. It sneaks up on me. Despite that I hate how not showering makes me feel, and that once I'm in there I'm usually asking myself what the big friggin deal was.

I tend to think that it's less a component of any specific disorder I'm experiencing, than being its own entity occurring comorbidly, and deserving of a DSM entry as was discussed earlier in this thread. I have a couple of depressive disorders, but this problem actually started happening independent of any depressive episode. (It is, however, definitely complicated by my depression.) If it was the only problem I was having right now (ha! I just made myself laugh out loud imagining such normalcy) then I think I would have a much easier time addressing it, but as it stands it ends up being way down on the list of things I am worrying about at a given time.

There are some great suggestions here though. A couple I'm going to try to work with:

• I really think a strategically located note asking myself the question of whether I've showered etc. "that day" could really help, because I do just forget in a certain way. It gets late, and I think I'll want to fall asleep sooner than I can get my hair dry and prevent its becoming a frizzy mess. Days go by quicker than I realize sometimes.

• Also someone mentioned tanning beds, and I forget the context, but this used to really energize me, when I did it, I think as light therapy, as a Vitamin D source albeit an unnatural one. I don't really remember why I stopped going. There are not many tanning salons where I'm living currently, so that may have played into it, but I think the real reason I stopped going is because I just got sick of everyone in my life going on and on about how unhealthy it is, despite the fact that I went really infrequently and my skin is really healthy.. Sometimes benefits outweigh, and it's different for every person, but I see this as being something that could help contribute positively to my mind-body connection.

Thanks to everybody who has contributed to this thread thus far .. strength in numbers, it is good to know I am not alone in dealing with this as yet unclassified disorder!


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vonmoxie