9 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Starting to not do hygiene.
I’m sorry for all the “shocked” responses. I used to shower about every 3 months (6 months was my longest gap) and was brushing my teeth about once a month for 7-10 years. I brush about 10 times a week now. I’ve had to cut chunks out of my hair because of how knotted it was.
“Just” has always been my 4-letter-word. “Just take a shower, just drink water, just go for a walk, etc.” It’s even harder because you can’t explain what you’re going through. If someone talks to you about depression and uses “just”, they’re not worth explaining to. I had a professor that said I didn’t need extra time for my paper because it was an opinion based paper and I only had to write my own thoughts on the subject. Not worth explaining to him.
The main idea of not showering for me (along with it being a trigger for my PTSD) is that I don’t believe I’m worth it. It’s a lot harder to take care of yourself when you’re spending all day trying to convince yourself that you deserve to stay alive and should stay out of bed. I always feel worse after showers and feel unsafe when I don’t have a layer of plaque over my teeth, but I’m getting better!
Instead of worrying about how often I showered, I keep wet wipes by the toilet and remind myself that not showering is what I need right now. I’m doing exactly what I have to in order to get through this. Bad hygiene is a symptom, not the disease. Focus on loving yourself and treating the depression. I hope this helps.
Comment by Atticbound22 at 11/03/2025 at 01:34 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
This is amazing. Even some therapists will tell you to just go for a walk or whatever but its hard. Ive been sleeping so bad lately and people telling me to just do anything infuriates me and they get upset bc they think it's helpful but really they know its not. Its just a reflex response of someone who isn't caring