Discussion Do you struggle with self care?

[Raven2]

I find it difficult practicing self care, I've been on a slippery slope for a few years since I've been single.

I only eat once a day normally something I can just chuck in the oven or cook quickly on the hob. My diet is trash, I never incorporate vegetables and rarely have fruit. Sometimes it's not even a meal it's just snacks because I cant be bothered to cook or I just dont fancy anything.

I've stopped brushing my teeth at night and just do it in the morning. I dont really know why I've stopped doing it I've just got into the habit. I hadn't seen a dentist since covid time up until this summer even when I cracked a tooth it took me months to bother to book an appointment to get it seen too. Had to have the tooth extracted. Dentist also found gum disease, I'm guessing because I smoke. So now i have costly hygienist check ups.

I've stopped wearing make up even though it doesn't take me long to actually do it.
I keep my hair long so I dont have to style it and just wear it up in a ponytail. I get it cut about once a year. I wash my hair about once a week.
Nails are long but I dont bother painting them.

I put off doing my clothes washing until I have nothing left to wear. I'll usually let it pile for a couple of weeks.

Exercise, forget it. Hardly ever exercised as always been slim. I know it's good for mental health but I just have no motivation.

I wasnt always like this, I used to always have makeup done and blow dry my hair nearly every other day, wear nice perfume and jewellery and manicured nails. Now I just do the bear minimum. it seems as though since I've been single I've got no one to impress or someone to hold me accountable I know I should be doing it for myself.

A customer at work that I dont recognise serving before asked me if I was okay today be because apparently I looked ill. So yeah that was great lol. I must seriously look like trash.

Do you struggle with self care?

 

[SVEN]

I have to make an effort, shaving everyfew days (I'm male, so this is face shaving) showering most days and letting clothes build up before laundry. I used to iron shirts & stuff, but now I can't really be bothered.

 

[dontwakemeup]

I definitely do. I only shower on the days I work, and I spray perfume and I find it hilarious how many compliments I get. I keep my hair braided so I don't have to comb it or wash it. I barely eat, when I do it's just to survive or I'll start feeling too weak. I sleep my off days so i drink a lot of water while I'm awake. Life has become so meaningless, nothing makes me happy. I'm literally waiting to die.

I purchased some disinfectant wipes and a Swifter so cleaning has become easier for me. I just wipe everything down really fast and vacuum and mop my house, I refuse to stay in a dirty house.

All I've eaten today was some sweet potatoes. I'm too lazy to go get something to eat, I'll make some oatmeal and drink more water and fall asleep again. Life is pointless and I'm so bored in it.

 

[Raven2]

I have to make an effort, shaving everyfew days (I'm male, so this is face shaving) showering most days and letting clothes build up before laundry. I used to iron shirts & stuff, but now I can't really be bothered.

I never iron, not even my work shirts. I found a hack, I just hang them on a hanger wet and they dry nicely so no need to iron!

 

[SmilingNoMore]

Yip, just no energy to care. Eating poorly if at all. Stopped running and miss it. Even taking a bath is an effort, at least I don't sweat from running.

 

[Raven2]

Life is pointless and I'm so bored in it.

I feel the same

Yip, just no energy to care. Eating poorly if at all. Stopped running and miss it. Even taking a bath is an effort, at least I don't sweat from running.

Yeah I miss having a shower at home we only have a bath here and your right it is effort.

 

[yowai]

It's so difficult. Recently I've been showering twice a week and that's an upgrade for me lmao. I don't change my clothes often enough etc. I also bought a yoga mat with some accessories a month ago because I used to enjoy it a long time ago and haven't used it once since then. I know how relaxed it makes me feel but I've been in such a bad form for a few years, it's definitely going to give me bad cramps in the beginning and so I'm constantly putting it off. I also wanted to sign up for swimming class since summer but I haven't even bought a swimsuit yet. And I rarely do stuff like face masks these days, I hate looking at and thinking about my face for longer than necessary.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I'm bad with self care but this is because of my autism, not because of depression

 

[Namelesa]

I am bad with things like brushing teeth and washing myself. I hate the texture of tooth paste in my month and hate the taste of flavored ones. I also should do it more as I have gingivitis but I absolutely hate doing it. I also hate washing myself cus I hate the feel of soap and shampoo on me. I don't really see the point of why people do it more often as I think it just wastes water and I either don't mind or like what people consider to be "stinky" smells and hate nice smells. I hate showers more as I don't like the force of water dropping on me but I have to do that with washing my hair. I don't like my hair getting wet but I deal with it cus I want my hair to look and feel nice. I am autistic so thats part of why I have difficulties with these things.

 

[NoPoint2Life]

I'm kind of a mix. My OCD would never let me go even one day without a shower. I always feel disgusting by the end of the day… hell I feel gross within an hour of getting up Gotta wash my hair every day too so that feels clean, but I don't really have any style and this year The texture really started changing with some grey hair and my hair has not looked satisfactory in over a year

At least when I was a wage slave, I wore normal clothes and try to use a tiny bit of makeup, but only really for my acne. I still have fucking adult acne and it gives me no motivation to want to wear make up or look nice when I get so broken out. And I just live in the leisure clothes now. Putting on jeans is dressing up for me these days.

I've always been good about brushing my teeth in the morning. I hate doing it as I can't stand the taste and start gagging pretty much every time. But for about a year or so I was really bad about doing it at night. Now I'm kind of forced to as I had to start wearing a mouthguard and the thought of putting it over dirty teeth, grosses me out

As far as eating, I do plenty of that because I am constantly hungry lol. But I rarely eat anything healthy. The other morning I had Doritos for breakfast. I don't cook so I live on takeout and fried stuff you can make in the toaster oven.

 

[ThatRussianDude]

I find it difficult practicing self care, I've been on a slippery slope for a few years since I've been single.

I only eat once a day normally something I can just chuck in the oven or cook quickly on the hob. My diet is trash, I never incorporate vegetables and rarely have fruit. Sometimes it's not even a meal it's just snacks because I cant be bothered to cook or I just dont fancy anything.

I've stopped brushing my teeth at night and just do it in the morning. I dont really know why I've stopped doing it I've just got into the habit. I hadn't seen a dentist since covid time up until this summer even when I cracked a tooth it took me months to bother to book an appointment to get it seen too. Had to have the tooth extracted. Dentist also found gum disease, I'm guessing because I smoke. So now i have costly hygienist check ups.

I've stopped wearing make up even though it doesn't take me long to actually do it.
I keep my hair long so I dont have to style it and just wear it up in a ponytail. I get it cut about once a year. I wash my hair about once a week.
Nails are long but I dont bother painting them.

I put off doing my clothes washing until I have nothing left to wear. I'll usually let it pile for a couple of weeks.

Exercise, forget it. Hardly ever exercised as always been slim. I know it's good for mental health but I just have no motivation.

I wasnt always like this, I used to always have makeup done and blow dry my hair nearly every other day, wear nice perfume and jewellery and manicured nails. Now I just do the bear minimum. it seems as though since I've been single I've got no one to impress or someone to hold me accountable I know I should be doing it for myself.

A customer at work that I dont recognise serving before asked me if I was okay today be because apparently I looked ill. So yeah that was great lol. I must seriously look like trash.

Do you struggle with self care?

You have still a long way to go. I personally cant be botherrd to clean the food that I had near my couch. The trend is not good however.

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

I stopped taking care for myself almost entirely when I fell from mania into severe depression last August. It hasn't killed me yet, but I'm slowly getting there.

I only brush my teeth every few weeks. I can feel the cavities growing, but it's not as bad is it could be because I have a natrually strong oral microbiome according to my dentist (who I saw over 4 years ago).

I rarely shave so I constantly look haggard, and shower weekly or less so my hair usually looks greasy (I hide it with a hat).

I subsist on fast food and candy. I've gained 25 lbs (11 kg) in a couple of months on that diet.

I'm bedridden most of the day, the last time I exercised was months ago and it was AWFUL.

My room is a mess with piles of clothes surrounding a bed with sheets so dirty you can't tell what color they originally were.

It's sad because this isn't the person I used to be at all. I used to keep up my appearance. I had long hair dyed bright red that got compliments from people everywhere I went. I was genderqueer so I wore nail polish, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and colorful accessories. I had lots of nice clothes for a variety of occasions. I kept active with a variety of sports and household projects.

Now it's all gone, the person I was is dead and all that remains is a sad ghost wasting away in mental anguish.

 

[alongertripbackhome]

I have severe adhd and depression and I have no fucking clue how people stay on top of hygiene. It's so fucking exhausting. Showering is such a process and I hate being wet from the shower. I recently cut my hair and it's helped a lot by hygiene is still so hard to keep up with. Constant tasks that are never truly done

 

[Promised Heaven]

All the time.

Any kind of self care my parents look and amplify in a mocking manner, like "Oh! HereTomorrow brushed her teeth?! Of her own choice?!". I feel more embarrassed and just stop.

A few years ago I posted online how I was happy about taking a shower for the first time in a month due to depression and someone I looked up to called me disgusting and I shouldn't be proud of it because everyone does it and I'm not special to talk about it. I cried afterwards and ended up not showering for another few months because I felt like it wasn't worth it.

Other than that, I feel like I don't deserve self care. I don't deserve anything good because I'm afraid of being a narcissist if I'm happy about doing things I love or even stuff to make me look or feel good so instead I want to just lay in bed and hide from the world.

 

[Unsure and Useless]

I struggle with taking care of myself pretty much 24/7, and it's been like that for the longest time.

I used to brush my teeth every morning and night, but ever since my mental health plummeted in middle school, I only brushed my teeth in the morning so that my breath didn't stink. Now, as an adult, I struggle even doing that—skipping brushing my teeth altogether. The gross feeling of built up muck in my mouth is disgusting, but I don't have any energy to do that.

Just maintaining my hygiene is something I struggle with to be honest. I'm a disgusting pile of filth.

At the very least, I'm able to bring the trash out because last time I couldn't find the energy to take it out for months, resulting in flies laying their eggs there and proliferating.

 

[Pluto]

 

[Lullaby]

this is something I really struggled with for literally years until I started my ECT last summer. It used to be so hard for me to hop into the shower because I had no energy or motivation to do so, which was even more embarrassing as a woman.

Now, it's a lot easier and I even started collecting fragrances/perfumes as a hobby.

Too bad this is literally the only fucking thing the shock therapy improved upon.

 

[Forveleth]

When my depression gets bad, hygiene is the first thing to go. Lots of trouble brushing teeth, washing face, showering, etc when I need to.

Now, it's a lot easier and I even started collecting fragrances/perfumes as a hobby.

I will say this has kind of worked for me. I am a "smells" person (oils and candles everywhere if I could) and finding hygiene products with pleasant scents has really helped because now I am excited to use them. I also finally found a toothpaste that helps my sensitive teeth and if I do not use it 2x/day, my teeth start hurting and it becomes painful to eat.

Unfortunately, I also binge food as a copy mechanism and am rather overweight at the moment despite being VERY in shape a few years ago. Have not found a way to curb this yet as I can shovel in food whilst doing pretty much anything else.

 

[Pryras]

I was a self care freak which came from my severe Body dismorphia disorder.. when I'm having suicidal ideations I stop everything related to self care and can't leave my bed or eat.

 

[scottchy]

This hits close to home very much for me.
Showering and self care has been something I have struggle with for a very long time.
I actually told myself I was gonna take a shower first thing yesterday as a way of washing the filth of last year off of me.
I obviously failed and haven't left my bed yet.
How can something that in theory is so simple to do but yet can feels like the hardest possible task some days.

 

[LukaParrot]

When I didnt shower for a week.... had to go out to help my mother with some stuffs.....

My mother's dog sniff me like... you stink! Getting back at my home, passed by some kids, and someone said... "do you smell popcorn?" WTH!?!?!? How I endup smeeling lke popcorn? Well... i showered that day.

When we're heavly depressed nothings seens to matter.

 

[shinitai_sh0jo]

Yeah. I've had problems with this since I was a child, things like remembering to brush my teeth and take a shower were always things I forgot a lot, even though when I was already a grown up child. In my teens it didn't got any better, since I still mainly did it only when my parents told me to do so, and it got very shit when I started to suffer bullying (though I guess it wasn't that bad for the shitty people to use against me.)

Some years later, I ended up finding out about my diagnosis of ASD along with a anxious-depressive disorder. Though that was three years ago and I found myself with depression for at least seven years, self-care is something that depends a lot on my mood for me to be able to handle.

I think that if I think carefully, I've always liked to take care of others first than myself, even when I was little. I'm not sure if it's due to the way I view myself, or anything of the sort... I'm going to stop writing here before I lose track.

 

[Murasa]

My grandma used to say "human beings are creatures of habit" and she was right. I have to bathe once a day. Since I was little my parents were very insistent about personal hygiene and maintaining a good appearance, "the body is your temple", on the other hand, I come from a very hot place and it was unpleasant to feel the sweaty sensation. That said, I've neglected myself too much these last few years, rarely combing my hair, I sweep the dust when I remember to and, until last year, not washing clothes and sheets more than a couple of times a year when they started to stink. I didn't have the motivation to do it and since I was always locked up I didn't care, even when I went out I didn't dress up much because what does it matter if I don't know anyone anyway? At first it was annoying and even stressful because I was taken out of what my routine was before, I didn't like washing, I dreaded leaving my room, I hated being in the same room with my father so I never found the opportunity.... And then I stopped caring.

When my father realized this, he started to warn me when the house was left alone so that I would clean and since last year he has been watching my hygiene, checking my teeth to see if I brush them and forcing me to keep my hair combed. Whenever visitors come over he is much more fastidious about it, I guess so he won't be so embarrassed to introduce me.

I keep my self-care to a minimum standard out of obligation at this point.