r/ADHD • u/Extreme_Foundation66 • 9d ago

Questions/Advice Hygiene with ADHD

Hi to all my ADHD friends!

I have ADHD and I have my whole life struggled with my hygiene.

I hate to talk about this but the few times I have done it with my friends with ADHD I feel less alone so I hope this will have the same effect. I also wanna say that I would appreciate if you kept your judgements and negative comments to yourself (since I’ve also experienced that when talking about this)

First of all, I absolutely hate to shower. It has so many steps, I hate the feeling of water on my body and I really struggle to start. This makes it harder for me to workout cause the thought of taking a shower is so overwhelming.

I also struggle with steps like brushing my teeth and remembering steps in my routine!

Also other weekly things like shaving, cutting my nails!

Please tell me that I’m not alone and if you’re having any advice or anything I would appreciate it! I’m really embarrassed about it!

Update: I’m genuinely so thankful for every single comment under this post! I’ve never felt this seen and understood before. I’m so proud of everyone that has shared their stories and I wish you all the best ❤️

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u/Excellent-Trouble920 9d ago

I wouldn't talk about it with friends it being about hygiene. At the same time I don't know your friends. Don't feel ashamed about it, it's hard for many with ADHD. The book "Atomic Habits" helped me quite a bit. Not saying you should read it, but maybe there are some people that talk about it in YouTube video essays? Essentially, you just convince yourself that you are a person that takes a shower every morning. Yeah, I know how it sounds but it's backed by a lot of science and even helps people stop smoking by convincing the brain that you are a person who doesn't smoke. You make your routines part of your identity.

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u/Extreme_Foundation66 8d ago

Thank you for the advice! When I wrote about my friends I meant my friends with ADHD (which is most of them haha) so they get it. The negative comments I’ve heard is from people talking about mental disorders and hygiene in general, not me sharing my experience. I usually don’t talk about it, I mask my ADHD most of the times