[insideout]

I have been having problems with self care, including not showering or brushing my teeth and not even getting out of bed or getting sunlight. What are some helpful tips for taking care of oneself while under the influence of a mental condition, and does anyone have a daily schedule or routine they would like to share?

[unaluna]

Hi! I am in need of the same thing, like what Wayne Gretzky's dad used after his stroke, or a little kid's chart. I read in an Asperger's book that an Aspie will get distracted just walking towards the shower in the morning and end up in the basement, so it can take a long time to get ready! That sounded like me. anyway, I have not had any luck on previous google searches, but today I found this:

There are some forms (around the middle of the page) called Personal Care Planning that look useful. click on them - sorry, I couldn't copy in the form.

http://www.okdhs.org/OKDHS/Templates...=NoModifyGuest

[Perna]

I've gotten so I leave my bedroom blinds (floor to ceiling - sliding glass door out to a balcony overlooking the water) open a foot or two so in the morning, the natural light gets in. Eventually I get a little "bored" being in bed so I'll get up and raise the blinds all the way and quickly spread up the bed. I want to shower today but did not want to do it right away so I threw on comfortable jeans/teeshirt and wandered downstairs and had coffee which helped me wake up better. Not having to do everything at once sometimes helps me do more and not give up.

I try to incorporate things into what I am already doing; my computer is on a living room table and where I sit I can see outside and it is bright and blue; sometimes I just get up and wander out the front door (townhouse) and to the street and back again. When it is warm enough I'll wander out back to the deck and sit and do 10-15 minutes worth of sun bathing; all that is needed to get enough Vitamin D. I make things experiments and try things for limited run engagements like, "sit outside for 15 minutes this week, see if I feel better" and I'll keep a little tally of how I feel each day and if I think sitting in the sun helps, etc. I've done experiments getting 10 minutes of exercise a day for X period or not eating any sugar for a week, etc. Just little things that I can be curious enough about and that are easy enough to do.

I like the feeling of being clean so I can make myself shower every now and then :-) and often will do it in combination with changing my bed or doing laundry (so I have clean pj's), doing things I don't feel like doing in combination with other things helps me too.

[-jimi-]

Originally Posted by hankster

I read in an Asperger's book that an Aspie will get distracted just walking towards the shower in the morning and end up in the basement, so it can take a long time to get ready!

That has never happened to me. I'm more the stalling type, because I know hassle and when I know I need to get into it, I rarely do it right away. Things take time for me. Not because I get distracted but because I don't do most things automatically. I think of everything I do. I plan every little thing, then I carry it out. That is also one of the reasons I don't want to start up things, because it is very draining to have a bad autopilot.

It seems with a lot of mental illness, self care is about the first to go. Washing, eating right, cleaning and so on. I'm not sure why. Maybe when sick, those things take too much effort.

I try to make it simple for me. I have clothes I wear only inside and they don't have to be perfectly clean. They just need to be nice and comfortable for me. Then I have outside clothes for those days I go outside. I shower or wash when I know I will go outside, otherwise I do it when I feel it is really needed. I try to brush my teeth and I try to eat healthy. Because for me, a healthy body is more important than always be squeaky clean, because if you mistreat your body, it will show, if you skip a shower, you will be clean the next time you shower.

I simply remember Mary (a Psych Nurse) and what she said to me in the Psych Hospital back in 1993 ... She walked in and opened the blinds and sweetly said, "Come on, Honey ... You've got to push yourself a little bit" ...

That's it ... And she said it so sweetly and tenderly that I find myself repeating it to myself in the exact same way whenever I find myself going back down into that hole again ... I've found it more helpful than many of the doctors and pills I've seen and been prescribed ...

People who have never been totally debilitated by the dark, oppressive weight of a mental illness will ever understand how hard it is ... How much strength it takes to simply get ourselves up and moving ...

Nothing has ever weighed so heavily on me in my whole life as that gaping black hole ...

Don't let IT win ... !!!

Hope you get to feeling better soon ...

Sincerely,
BrokenCloud

[Squirrel1983]

I too have difficulty showering or brushing my teeth. I showered on Tuesday night and then didn't shower again until tonight (Saturday). I will rarely remember to brush my teeth either. On weekends and school holidays I will choose to stay in bed all day. Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

[insideout]

wow, I don't even remember writing this thread or giving hugs... (I lose track of myself sometimes).
Anyway, I wanted to say that I love all the comments, they are helpful! I actually took a shower 4 days in a row so far. People at work have complemented me, saying I look nice, or I smell nice... I hope I didn't stink to them before. I probably did. SO EMBARRASSING! (hides in a corner in shame)

[Bmee2]

i hate to admit it, but struggling i am too. Will shower if have to go out to the public. Otherwise no shower or laundry. running out of clean clothes...ugh! i is the caretaker too. Just too much neverending cleaning.
Tomorrow...must must do laundry and hair. Teeth i will do now.

[insideout]

Originally Posted by Bmee2

i hate to admit it, but struggling i am too. Will shower if have to go out to the public. Otherwise no shower or laundry. running out of clean clothes...ugh! i is the caretaker too. Just too much neverending cleaning.
Tomorrow...must must do laundry and hair. Teeth i will do now.

I can empathize with what you said. I am a single mom so it makes it way hard to get around to taking care of myself even when i'm not depressed or in a mixed state. i do wish i had some help around the house.