How to get motivated to take a shower – 7 Tips

Although showering is a refreshing exercise, sometimes it can become a daunting task. Sometimes you have just had a long day and all you want is to jump straight into bed and sleep.

Perhaps you are a mother and between your kids, work, and husband you barely have a second to yourself to take a shower. If anything, you have to decide between using the 5 minutes you have to shower or to sleep.

The answer to that is pretty obvious.

The bottom line is we all need the motivation to shower sometimes.

The fact that you are here right now means either you need the motivation to hit the shower, or you are trying to convince someone to shower. I must admit that the latter is easier said than done.

So, first let’s talk about the reasons why you don’t want to take either a warm shower or a cold shower depending on your preferences. Then we will proceed to talk about the main reasons how to get motivated to take a shower.

Top Reasons for not showering

 

There is no hot water

This is one of the top reasons for not showering. Not all of us are fond of showering, let alone with cold water. Although there are many reasons to shower with cold water instead of warm water, it can be a shivering thought to think of that ice-cold water hitting your body.

It has been found that if you take cold showers during your morning routine, you tend to shock your body and it improves blood circulation as the body works hard to regulate the body temperature Some people are also quoted to have a productive day if they take a cold shower. Some also say a cold shower can improve your low energy level and help with weight loss.

Although this might not work for everyone, the cold morning shower is not for the faint-hearted.

If the above reason does not inspire you to have cold showers let me give you one more reason: you will save on electricity.

With the rising costs in day-to-day expenses, we need to find ways to minimize costs in the house, and bathing with cold water is one of those ways.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hot showers, especially in winter because they are like a warm hug. But during the summer months when it’s unbearably hot I do enjoy warm water showers and cold showers.

It’s like swimming in a cold pool on a hot day.

You are lazy

This is also one of the top reasons why you don’t take a daily shower.

For people in this group, I suggest applying the two-minute rule.

The two-minute rule says when you think about anything that you plan on doing, plan to start doing it in the next 2 minutes. That means you don’t give yourself time to overthink things and make many plans that you will never execute anyway.

This is a great rule because it fights procrastination.

The next time you think of taking a shower give yourself two minutes and just do it.

Try to not think too much of it. It could be that you have a 5-minute break between online classes or work or a TV commercial. Use that time to shower.

After you have done it, you do not have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

This two-minute rule is one of the most effective methods on how to get motivated to take a shower. If you practice this, you are a star.

Suffering from depression symptoms.

Life is hard.

Sometimes, life is life(ing).

When this happens, we could be thrown off our balance and have to deal with depression and anxiety disorders. In such unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, showering tends to be the last thing we are thinking about.

Sometimes people’s battle with mental illness is so severe that they lose the ability and willingness to care for their personal hygiene.

Here, the only advice we can give is that we are patient and provide the emotional and physical support that our loved ones really need. Instead of pestering them about showering, rather decide to listen and sit close to them so that they know we are close to them and are not going anywhere.

If you yourself are dealing with depressive symptoms or anxiety disorder and do not feel like bathing, be kind to yourself.

Instead of taking a full-on shower, use baby wipes or general wet wipes to clean yourself.

This is a temporary situation and if it persists for weeks on end, seek medical attention.

Choose to join a support group that is dealing with the same common problems that you are facing as well.

Going out of the house and talking to other people is a good start because it gets you out of your comfort zone. It helps realize that your situation is painful but not unique.

So before dealing with your lack of motivation to shower, it would be better to deal with the real reason causing depression.

Once you have acknowledged and dealt with the depression, you can work on motivation to resume the basic hygiene tasks.

Although I am not a medical expert that will help you through your depression there are a few motivation points that I can share that will go a long way on how to get motivated to take a shower.

It’s winter

I understand it, it’s hard getting the motivation to shower in summer, how much harder could it be in winter with the cold temperatures? During this season we don’t even want to mention the idea of cold showering as it may be difficult to comprehend.

But instead of thinking of showering as an unnecessary exercise rather think of it as a way to keep your body warm, especially if you have been outside for most of your day.

During the biting frosty winter months, we all need a few tips on how to get motivated to take a shower

How to get motivated to take a shower

1.     Set up a showering routine

Human beings are creatures of habit. That’s how we get through our daily lives. If you want to ensure that you take a shower daily, you have to include showering as part of your daily routine.

Just as you would include eating or work as part of your everyday tasks, you need to include showering as well. This means that when you write your daily to-do list you need to include showering as well.

2.     Showering does not have to take a lot of time

We mostly dread showering because it’s time-consuming and we are too busy.

I agree, showering is one of those mundane tasks that have to be done but not all of us are always willing to do it.

If you really dislike it, set a 5-minute timer, and only spend that much time in the shower.

However, at least once or twice a month take the time to have a longer shower and groom yourself. Take the time to shave and enjoy taking care of your body.

There is caution to this tip, you cannot say you do not have time to shower because you are busy playing video games all day long or you are binge-watching reality shows like the Real housewives.

At some point, you have to get up and hit the shower then come back and resume.

3.     Make shower time appealing (romantic, fun)

It’s time to make positive changes to your shower routine. Set the scene in your bathroom such that you enjoy being inside it.

Some of us hate visiting the shower because it is dirty, and it doesn’t smell so good.

It’s a good idea to change that.

Put some nice plants, scented candles, rose petals, bath bombs, white towels, your favorite music and anything that will improve the ambiance in the room. Although showering is a way to take care of your body it is also a way to take care of your mind.

The mind only rests and calms down if the room and the environment are set up correctly as well.

If you are not motivated to shower alone, invite your partner to shower with you and use this time to bond. You can use this time to rub each other’s back and hard-to-reach places. The only thing better than showering alone is showering with your partner.

If this is a new thing for you and your partner, you could find that you both love it and would like to make it a regular experience.

The tips I am discussing here on how to get motivated to take a shower are practical, but at the end of the day, you need to do the actual work. You can read all the motivation articles but ultimately you need to do the work.

4.     Prepare a reward for yourself after showering

One thing to get yourself motivated is to set up a reward for yourself that you can enjoy after showering.

Showering has great health benefits such as calming your mind and keeping you hygienically clean those reasons may not inspire you to bath.

But if you prepare a nice hot chocolate or a glass of wine and popcorn that you can only enjoy after showering, this is great motivation to shower.

Use an effective reward system to improve your low motivation to shower. Put rewards that actually inspire you.

For example, you can only eat a slice of cheesecake if you shower.

This rewards system works really well for kids and the rest of the family too.

At the end of the day, the plan is to try everything to get your whole body into the water.

A rewards system is one of the best ways to motivate you or someone else to bath. I know of parents who keep a rewards chart where a child is rewarded for every good habit, they do every week. This motivates the kids and helps them to understand that hygiene is not negotiable.

5.     Showering is good for your mental health

When we are clean, we feel good, and our body feels great as well. However, the opposite is true. When we are dirty and sweaty, we could feel tired, exhausted, hot, irritated, and depressed.

It’s up to you to take care of your body not just on the inside with what you eat but on the outside as well. Although mental health issues are deeper and cannot be treated by taking a simple shower, it definitely helps to take a shower.

Honestly, there is something about taking a shower that clears your head.

It gives you perspective and inspiration to face the day.

The last thing we want is for a family member or friend to think you are showing symptoms of depression when the truth is that you have not showered in a week or a month.

So do not be stubborn, put these tips on how to get motivated to take a shower into practice.

You will be shocked at how good you look and feel just by immersing yourself in water.

6.     Be excellent in everything you do, including showering.

Most of us dedicate all our efforts to our work, hobbies, and interests but when it comes to self-care and self-love in our daily life, we barely give the bare minimum effort.

It should be unacceptable.

Learn to love yourself and your body. Treat your body with the utmost respect. If you love, care for, and protect your body it will thank you and take care of you.

Remember you only have one body and once if it gives up on you it’s over.

7.     Plan a trip outside your house

This one is for introverts and the working-from-home group. These are the people who really think showering is not important because they have been inside the entire day, therefore there is no need to shower.

This is the worst mentality.

Instead of spending all your time indoors plan a trip outside for yourself. There are many great ideas of things to do outside and you need to try those things.

Plan a trip to spend some quality time with friends and family.

This will give you some good motivation to take a proper shower and put on some clean clothes. You have to at least look your best when you are going to be meeting a lot of people else everyone starts to think you have a serious issue.

Showering makes you look good and feel good such that your low self-esteem automatically increases.

When should I shower?

 

Most of us are okay to shower once a day and we think that showering twice a day is more of an extreme sport. Unless the situation is critical and requires us to do so.

I know I touched a little on saving electricity and water but hear me out on this one. It is important that you at least take a shower twice a day. The most important would be the shower before bedtime.

Showering before bedtime is like washing away all the drama, chaos, and happenings of the day. You get to wake up the next day feeling relaxed and ready to live yet another day.

Last thoughts!

 

Although we would like to be allergic to water so we don’t bath, no one is allergic to water so be a darling and set up that daily appointment with the shower.

Try all these tips on how to get motivated to take a shower and you will be set in life.

Once you get a great schedule up and running you will see how everything in your life will be aligned. When you feel fresh your productivity is high. Break the vicious cycle of not taking a shower, you can do it!

Good luck!