Washing - why so hard?

Wow, so many of us! Me too. Made way harder by crippling arthritis. I used to force myself to shower/bath once a week but haven't for ages, not sure when I stopped that but possibly with my burnout.

I keep hair washing a separate thing, do that in the kitchen sink as the tap there is a nice big long mixer tap, but over the years I have been working towards making it less and less frequent. Itching drove me to do it about every ten days, but somehow this year it has been able to go a lot longer between washes before becoming intolerably itchy. I keep my hair very short which helps, cut it myself as I hate people touching it. But that is it's own sensory nightmare as I loathe the feel of the short cut off bits and they stick to my skin, but I love actually cutting it and can get a bit carried away and cut bits too short. Then my feet hurt before I have finished! So difficult.

I simply don't wash my skin enough, it is very dirty. Bits are clean, like my hands, then I wash the rest piecemeal, like a strip wash except not the whole body at a time as I don't have energy. Some bits get done more often than others, bits which are visible or which get smelly and itchy if left too long. But it has been years since i had either a shower or a bath. I need a bath first as some of the dirt and dead skin won't shift unless it is soaked, but my bath is full of stuff and it scares me getting in and out with my arthritis. I need a bath lift, but getting one is too difficult since covid because I am not going in shops and don't want any strangers in the house.

It is simply exhausting and painful to even wash one bit of me, so motivation is low, especially since covid and not getting too close to anyone, deodorant helps! I think for me it is the arthritis which makes it so impossible. I used to like a bath, except getting out and dry, that I always hated, same with swimming. I dislike the cold from evaporation unless the weather is hot, and then I dislike that I feel sticky damp for ages. But I hated showers as a kid, we didn't have one so they were only a problem if away. I worked out it was that I could not have my head under it, I detest water in the eyes or ears, so I am fine as long as the shower head can be lowered to chest height and ideally is removable. I would be fine with a weekly bath or shower if only it didn't hurt so much, mostly my hands, and finding it hard to reach some parts.

I do clean my teeth twice a day, it's better than dental work! Regrettably I had a phase in my 20s when I didn't and that has caused such problems, and I even knew that poem by Pam Ayres 'I wish I'd looked after my teeth!' But it took quite an effort to start it up again, and when i did it was only before bed. Adding the after breakfast only happened ten or so years ago.

It's good to know I am not alone in this struggle! I do feel vile though. I prefer feeling clean and have been a bit surprised how long i can tolerate this.

Wow, so many of us! Me too. Made way harder by crippling arthritis. I used to force myself to shower/bath once a week but haven't for ages, not sure when I stopped that but possibly with my burnout.

I keep hair washing a separate thing, do that in the kitchen sink as the tap there is a nice big long mixer tap, but over the years I have been working towards making it less and less frequent. Itching drove me to do it about every ten days, but somehow this year it has been able to go a lot longer between washes before becoming intolerably itchy. I keep my hair very short which helps, cut it myself as I hate people touching it. But that is it's own sensory nightmare as I loathe the feel of the short cut off bits and they stick to my skin, but I love actually cutting it and can get a bit carried away and cut bits too short. Then my feet hurt before I have finished! So difficult.

I simply don't wash my skin enough, it is very dirty. Bits are clean, like my hands, then I wash the rest piecemeal, like a strip wash except not the whole body at a time as I don't have energy. Some bits get done more often than others, bits which are visible or which get smelly and itchy if left too long. But it has been years since i had either a shower or a bath. I need a bath first as some of the dirt and dead skin won't shift unless it is soaked, but my bath is full of stuff and it scares me getting in and out with my arthritis. I need a bath lift, but getting one is too difficult since covid because I am not going in shops and don't want any strangers in the house.

It is simply exhausting and painful to even wash one bit of me, so motivation is low, especially since covid and not getting too close to anyone, deodorant helps! I think for me it is the arthritis which makes it so impossible. I used to like a bath, except getting out and dry, that I always hated, same with swimming. I dislike the cold from evaporation unless the weather is hot, and then I dislike that I feel sticky damp for ages. But I hated showers as a kid, we didn't have one so they were only a problem if away. I worked out it was that I could not have my head under it, I detest water in the eyes or ears, so I am fine as long as the shower head can be lowered to chest height and ideally is removable. I would be fine with a weekly bath or shower if only it didn't hurt so much, mostly my hands, and finding it hard to reach some parts.

I do clean my teeth twice a day, it's better than dental work! Regrettably I had a phase in my 20s when I didn't and that has caused such problems, and I even knew that poem by Pam Ayres 'I wish I'd looked after my teeth!' But it took quite an effort to start it up again, and when i did it was only before bed. Adding the after breakfast only happened ten or so years ago.

It's good to know I am not alone in this struggle! I do feel vile though. I prefer feeling clean and have been a bit surprised how long i can tolerate this.