When you live with depression, you may find it difficult to take care of your personal hygiene, such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower.
In fact, depression can affect multiple areas of your life, including hygiene habits.
Maybe you want to take a shower, for example, but you have no motivation or you feel exhausted. Then you feel bad that you don’t have the energy or the will to do it, which makes you feel even worse. Instead of taking a shower, you roll over in bed and decide to try again tomorrow.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. this is natural effect of untreated depression. However, there are ways you can cope and find relief.
Depression can cause fatigue with aches and pains throughout the body, which can contribute to a lack of motivation to perform simple daily tasks.
Living with depression can mean using all the energy you have to get through the day, says kali wolkena licensed mental health counselor in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“Imagine your phone has 15% battery. To save power, you can stop scrolling through your favorite social networks,” he explains. “Depression can make people’s battery power low. You may need to conserve your energy to get through the day. This may mean choosing not to shower or change clothes because they use up too much energy.”
Despair can make starting simple tasks seem impossible. You might think, “What’s the point? No matter.”
Depression can be debilitating in this regard, says Dr. Olivia Wedela licensed professional counselor in Grapevine, Texas.
“It can really feel too ‘heavy’ and too much straining to take a shower, for example,” she says. “It’s an easier decision, more often than not, to just stay on the couch or in bed than to take care of personal hygiene.”
For some, low self-esteem or a lack of worth doesn’t cause poor hygiene, but rather is the result of poor hygiene, says Wolken.
“When I talk to clients, they often feel embarrassed, embarrassed or alone. They are fully aware that they are not taking care of themselves in this basic way and are afraid that others will see it too,” she says.
In this case, work with a therapist You can provide support without judgment. A therapist’s understanding of depression and what helps can lead to conversations you may not feel comfortable having with a loved one, she says.
“Therapy will assess your symptoms and needs, identify steps you may need to take, and provide the support you need to reach your goals,” adds Wolken.
There are several mental health conditions that can make it more difficult to keep up with personal hygiene.
These include:
for example, a study 2018 found that antipsychotic medications can impair motor functions (such as brushing teeth). This helps explain why those living with schizophrenia may sometimes have compromised oral hygiene, compared with those without schizophrenia.
Depression can make it difficult to maintain personal hygiene. Some self-care challenges include lack of motivation, hopelessness, or worthlessness, all formal symptoms of depression.
You may find it helpful to break hygiene tasks into smaller steps. For example, a bath becomes sitting on the bed, grabbing a towel, turning on the bathtub, etc.
Finding one small thing to do each day (like applying deodorant) and asking a loved one to help keep you accountable can also help.
Working with a therapist is highly recommended, so you don’t have to do this alone. Untreated depression can lead to more intense and long-lasting symptoms.
It is possible to control the symptoms of depression. treatment for depressionn is effective and relief can be achieved.
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