“It’s hard to do basic things like brushing your teeth.”
I struggle with bathing for a couple of reasons; motivation and body image. It is so hard to even get dressed some days, so to add in getting in the bath when it feels too overwhelming, I will put it off day after day and then before I know it, it’s been weeks- sometimes months- and I’m just using body spray when I go out to mask the smell a little bit.
As I have put on a lot of weight, from anorexic to obese, I have major body image issues so getting naked to get into the bath is so hard and really depresses me. I will try and avoid it as much as I can. It isn’t just a matter of struggling in the bath, but the feelings last for days and puts you off doing it again.
It’s hard to do basic things like brushing your teeth. I am 31 and have only four teeth left due to not brushing them through depression. It is very embarrassing at such a young age to hardly have any teeth, which then affects my confidence, and I do not want to go out or have anyone see me. This affects so much- like talking for example, which people take for granted. Also, things like going to the hairdressers, as you have to sit looking in the mirror for so long. It really affects your self-confidence and self-worth.
I went for months without brushing my hair. It got so bad, I had to get a hairdresser- a mobile one, as I was too embarrassed to go to the salon, and she had to cut it short and spent about three hours getting all the matting out. But again, when you have no motivation and you are not going out, you think, why bother?
It takes up a lot of energy but it is something people do not talk about. I now go to the hairdressers every six weeks, but I still do not wash my hair in between appointments. Dry shampoo is great if you struggle with washing your hair. It’s not just a matter of washing it, but drying it as well, and as my hair is quite wavy, I feel I have to straighten it too and all this takes too much energy and time. I just can’t be bothered with the hard work. It’s not like I go out, so people don’t really notice. Even my hairdresser is used to it now.
Like I said, it can be so hard to even get dressed. I live in my pyjamas. If I go out, I normally wear the same clothes and then change straight back into my pyjamas when I get in again. I do not wash my clothes very often either. I take it to my dad’s and make him do it for me. I do not have a dryer and even though I can hang my clothes on an air dryer around my flat, it just seems too much work. I don’t have the energy, as you have to then fold the clothes and put them away. From each of the things I’ve discussed you can see things are broken down into small steps, but still feel overwhelming sometimes.
