Navigating Personal Hygiene: Practical Strategies for Mental Well-Being - Full Transcript

0:00 Hi everyone. In today's video, we are going to be talking about keeping up with personal hygiene, and specifically showering, while living with a mental illness. Hey everyone, and welcome back to the channel. So real talk. I have a big difficulty with taking a shower at times, especially when my symptoms are flaring up, or when I'm in a period of prolonged depression. And I don't think I'm alone in this struggle, you know. I've heard a lot of people through our Discord server, or through support groups, or through other mediums of hearing people who are living with mental illness, that they struggle too, with keeping up with personal hygiene, and especially with taking regular showers, and, you know, just taking care of cleaning your body. I think that depression especially, just kind of makes everyday mundane tasks, such as showering or brushing your teeth that much harder. Also with schizophrenia, executive functioning can interplay with this as well, where you just can't quite make the connection

1:01 that you need to take care of yourself in that regard, and go take a shower. And so there's a lot of factors at play that may be lessening abolition to go and take a shower. And it is definitely something that I struggle with. And another thing that I just wanted to kind of touch on is that I don't think it's touched, or I don't think it's talked about enough within the mental health community and within society, you know, that mental illness can lessen a person's ability to tend to their personal hygiene. And, you know, I think that that's a very stigmatized thing, because cleanliness and taking a shower, and all that kind of stuff are really linked to morality. If you are unclean, if you haven't showered in a while, that's typically connected or, you know, linked within society's frame of reference to things like laziness. And it's very moralized, like that when really it shouldn't be. So I just want to kind of point out that if this is something that you do struggle with,

2:00 taking a shower or keeping up with hygiene, it shouldn't be as stigmatized as it is. I don't want you to feel bad. It is perfectly normal for people who are grappling with mental illness to struggle with these kinds of things. And if you just don't have the capacity to do it, that's okay. Okay, now that said, it is very important to at least make an effort to keep up with personal hygiene, because it can keep you safe from diseases, and it's just a good way to take care of your body. And so in this video, I'm going to be providing some tips and tricks for how to take a shower when you're struggling with your mental health. The first trick is to use dry shampoo. It's a quick way to brighten up your presentation, and even if you're not feeling very together on the inside, it can help you to look more together, which can help you feel more together too. Plus, there are some very nice smelling dry shampoos. Number two, is try doing a sponge bath or using baby wipes. When you really can't muster the motivation or will to shower, giving yourself a quick sponge bath

3:02 or wipe down with some baby wipes can be all you really need. It helps you to feel a bit more fresh, and can help manage body odor too. The third one is to kind of trick yourself into showering. A trick I have used sometimes, is to lower the temperature in your house or apartment, so that when you wake up in the morning, you want to get into a nice warm shower. It can help with motivation to get your day started. Number four is using deodorant and body sprays. So I usually use deodorant and body sprays, especially, when it's been a while since I've been able to shower. It really helps to manage body odor, and can also make you feel a bit fresher and livelier too. Number five is cutting down on extra steps. So something I try to do when I'm struggling, is to set out what I need to keep getting ready after the shower. I try to get my clothes ready and out just to eliminate the extra step that can feel especially daunting after getting out of the shower. Number six is setting personal hygiene alarms. So I use this trick of setting alarms on my phone

4:00 to cue me to take my medications, though it can also be a really helpful tool to cue you to tend to your hygiene as well. Number seven is making realistic shower expectations. So sometimes the most you can do is just to get in the shower and let the water run over you. And that's okay. You don't have to wash your hair if that effort just feels like too much. Number eight is using a shower seat, or just simply sitting down in the shower. When I'm struggling, I often find myself laying down in the shower or sitting on the floor of the shower. This feels like a safe space to just kind of wallow sometimes, which maybe isn't recommended, but also just helps to conserve a bit of the energy you've mustered up to get in the shower. Number nine is asking for help. If there is someone you feel comfortable with doing this, try asking for some help, getting through the tasks of showering. Sometimes it's really, really helpful when my partner Rob helps me out by washing my hair and body. Number 10 is to wash your hair in the sink. If it feels like way too much to get into the shower, see if you can muster the energy to give your hair a quick wash in the sink.

5:02 This little act of self-care can help you to feel a bit better and more put together. Okay, so I hope you found this video helpful. I know that, you know, taking shower is something that I struggle with quite frequently, and keeping up with personal hygiene and that kind of thing for all the reasons I mentioned before. And I'm assuming, I'm not alone in that struggle. And so hopefully, you found these tips and tricks helpful, in terms of encouraging yourself to take a shower, to take care of yourself in that way. If you'd like to see more videos like this from us, make sure to subscribe. Make sure you check out our Patreon page, if you'd like to help support the creation of these videos. If you like what you see today, I'm going to be starting an OnlyFans. No, I'm totally kidding. I'm not, totally kidding. But yeah, check out our Patreon. All right, well, thank you so much for watching and as always wishing you and your loved ones good health. We'll see you in the next video. Bye.

10 Tips for Showering while Struggling with Your Mental Health