Difficulty with hygeine

Taking showers is really hard work for me. It's difficult. I feel like I have to exert this herculean effort just to soap myself, scrub everywhere, rinse, etc.

Does anyone else have trouble keeping up their hygeine with SA or any other mental illness? I am depressive type SA so it could be a motivation thing, or part of the depressive symptoms.

Has anyone risen to this challenge, or come up with any neat tricks for staying well groomed despite?

I'm sorry I probably don't really have any great suggestions to offer you here. But I noticed no one had yet replied to your post. So I thought I would. I take a shower every morning. I'm not a morning person. And taking a shower is what wakes me up. Otherwise, I suspect, I would just curl up somewhere & wait for the morning, at least, to pass me by (maybe the whole day!)

I have a large walk-in shower that has to be wiped down every day. So it's not even just a matter of cleaning myself up. I also have to wipe down the whole shower. The process can take me a good half hour or so. Some days I'd rather just hide under the covers in bed than face taking a shower & drying the whole shower stall down. But, at least in my case, I know it's all something I have to do. So I just make myself get up & do it.

Routine is really important. I get up, bring in the newspaper & set up breakfast. Then I take my shower. I have the same routine pretty-much every day. And I think it is the routine that helps me to keep doing it. So perhaps if you can establish a routine that starts out with something such as setting up breakfast (or something else) & then moves into taking your shower & perhaps ends up with some little reward you give yourself for having done it, over time you'll find that your routine simply becomes a habit. But, of course, you do have to make yourself keep doing it. And if that is something you're not able to do, I'm afraid I don't have the answer for that. Perhaps some other members will. My best wishes to you...

Thanks, Skeezyks.

I'm sure it's from depression. My mom doesn't let me shower every day, says it's bad for our skin and hair. But I love showering. Water soothes me. I'd mention this problem to your doctor.

He just recommended showering at the same time every day. Not much help. I've noticed lots of people recommend routine. Routine scares me. Routine sucks the soul out gradually and leaves you an empty husk. There's no flavor or newness to routine.

It's probably a symptom of the depressive part of my depressive schizoaffective disorder.

I disagree about how you feel about routine, I think routine is what keeps us stable.

I guess it works for some people.

I have a rule. If I am going outside and am going to meet people/friends/professionals I will have a shower before I go. If that is to hard to get my head around I will have a shower the night before. Least that way if you get too tired you can sleep afterwards. Your body will thank you for it.

Oh boy have I ever struggled with this for years! I've not got it quite down, but it helps me to commit to at least showering every other day. That way I don't feel so overwhelmed by having another thing I have to do everyday.

To update you all, it's been getting better (along with all my other symptoms), as I seem to be recovering slowly somewhat. I don't shower every day (kind of a laughable idea for me... such hard work...) but I do maybe twice a week now instead of--at its worst--once every two weeks.

And if I'm feeling lazy I'm not opposed to the "Puerto Rican Shower", as my roommate in college called it (just shampooing and washing your hair, either in the sink or leaning over the shower).

Yay! I'm happy to hear it.

A few years ago my symptoms peaked so that I only managed to bathe every third day. It was such a fight to get to the shower stall and take a shower. Eventually the bad chemicals in my brain lost out, and I regained the ability to keep up my personal hygiene.

Best of luck to you in your struggles!

This was such a great topic. One day out of nowhere I started to hate the feeling of water on my body. I was a guy that took two showers a day my entire life then wham water became my enemy. Taking a shower also initiated weird hallucinations like bugs coming out of my hair. Hygiene just became too complicated for me to handle. I am a bit better now but I can remember days sitting on the couch for an hour trying to talk myself into taking a shower. I would negotiate with myself - if I go shower now I will skip washing my hair or I won’t shave today. The mind is just so complicated and crazy.

I also find showering hard.

for me it comes from not having any real reason to, and the fact I have body issues- and actually taking care of it makes me feel gross

(((hugs))))

Try a bird bath.

A lot of people with sza have issues with hygiene due to the negative effects of the schizophrenia. I always keep wipes like from Burts Bees and Ponds for when I have trouble showering.

One thing I've noticed is that the bathroom is the one place with the least distractions. I have way more symptoms in there and wonder if things would be better if I had a tablet or small TV I could leave in there to occupy my brain.

oh man i am glad to hear that i am not alone in having issues with Hygiene . Water is difficult for me to deal with the sound of the water triggers old problems. Also brushing my teeth can be a problem, does anyone else neglect brushing their teeth?
i remember when it wasn't this way.
thanks Tams

I don't brush my teeth every day like I used too

honestly, I don't think it's anything to do with the fact that I can't be bothered to do it (though it does take 2 minits or so out your day), it's the fact I really don't care anymore

I may not have gone to the dentist in ages (scared of them), but pretty sure my teeth are pretty gross

all that junkfood can't help

I've also used an alexa skill to try to motivate me (it's a kids show that encourages children to brush their teeth while listening to jokes)

but I just listen to the show and get congratulated for brushing my teeth at the end, even though I didn't actually do it

I dont ever remember a time when hygiene wasnt a problem. Esp teeth. It usually takes a crisis (receding gums causing a toothache) for me to act, then once the crisis is resolved, i start slacking off again. I follow the same pattern in dieting, housecleaning, any self-care, any good habits. What is wrong with me?!

@raging vortex: Sometimes I will brush my teeth while in the shower, just an idea.

I use facial wipes, body cleansing wipes, and dry shampoo for those days I do not shower. That routine likely takes as long as a shower would take, but, as you know, it can be hard to shower.

Going from showering daily and going on about one’s day until MI develops and the shower becomes ... an issue, to say the least.

I agree that some of us are not routine-driven or what is routine to us is foreign to many. As long as I have my responsibilities covered and it is not negatively impacting my life (including relationships), I am an adult and I go with my personal flow.

I like that idea of thinking. thanks for sharing what you think

and brushing your teeth in the shower is a great idea!

I don't think I've really told anyone, but I love the taste of minty toothpaste. I just like squeezing it in to my mouth without actually brushing