Does the idea of showering create excitement or resistance in you? If you resist showering, you’re not alone. People may avoid showering for several reasons broadly classified as psychological and non-psychological. Non-psychological reasons for not showering include:
- Being too busy with other activities
- Being too lazy to shower
- Having a skin condition that makes showering painful
- Having chronic physical pain that makes showering painful
This article will focus on the psychological reasons for not showering. If you skip showering every once in a while, that’s not a problem. However, if you persistently skip showering to the point where it affects your health and other areas of your life, that may point to underlying psychological issues.
Psychological reasons for not showering
Shower avoidance syndrome isn’t an officially recognized condition but a common observation in people suffering from various mental health issues. Following are the purely psychological reasons people may avoid showering:
1. Depression
Depression is perhaps the most significant reason someone hates even the idea of showering. Depression not only reduces motivation to engage in personal hygiene routines but also makes doing other daily-life activities like household chores, going to work, and getting out of bed much harder.
Depression lowers motivation and energy. It’s not the same as laziness. Laziness is a lack of physical energy, whereas depression is a lack of mental energy. In laziness, you don’t experience a low mood, whereas in depression, you experience a persistent low mood.
In particular, apathy, guilt, and feelings of incompetence are significant factors that stop the depressed from showering.1Olivan-Blázquez, B., Montero-Marin, J., García-Toro, M., Vicens-Pons, E., Serrano-Ripoll, M. J., Castro-Gracia, A., … & Garcia-Campayo, J. (2018). Facilitators and barriers to modifying dietary and hygiene behaviours as adjuvant treatment in patients with depression in primary care: a qualitative study. BMC psychiatry, 18, 1-12. Those who have bipolar disorder may avoid showering for the same reasons when they experience a depressive episode.
2. Autism
Those with autism get easily overstimulated by sensory information. They seem unable to tolerate highly stimulating environments like bright lights, loud sounds, and even social situations. They might also get overstimulated by the physical sensations of showering, leading to shower avoidance.
3. Fear and anxiety
Some people have specific phobias, such as ablutophobia, which is a fear of bathing and showering. Others have aquaphobia, which is a fear of water. Often, these phobias stem from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event around bathing, showering, and water. For instance, if someone was physically abused or assaulted in a shower, they might dread showering.
Some feel vulnerable and claustrophobic when they find themselves naked in an enclosed space.
4. Low self-esteem
Low self-esteem can make a person avoid showering on its own, even when it’s not a symptom of depression, which it usually is. If you believe you’re not a high-value person, taking care of yourself doesn’t make much sense.
5. OCD
For people with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, showing can be an anxiety-provoking and time-consuming ritual. To avoid feeling so much anxiety and wasting time, they may avoid showering altogether.
6. Body-image issues
This is related to low self-esteem. People with body image issues tend to be ashamed of how they look. When they look at their bodies in the mirror, their shame gets triggered, which lowers their self-esteem. To prevent this, they may avoid showering. They don’t have to look at their bodily imperfections if they don’t shower.
7. Social withdrawal
Social withdrawal is often a symptom of depression. But it can lead to shower avoidance on its own or when it’s a symptom of some other condition like social anxiety. People who are socially withdrawn don’t get feedback from others on their hygiene. So they’re likely to neglect personal hygiene because the costs, at least the social costs, of doing so have been reduced. It’s difficult to be social and neglect personal hygiene at the same time.2Stewart, V., Judd, C., & Wheeler, A. J. (2022). Practitioners’ experiences of deteriorating personal hygiene standards in people living with depression in Australia: A qualitative study. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(4), 1589-1598.
Overcoming shower avoidance
If you persistently skip showering, it may point to deeper psychological issues. Showering frequently positively impacts all areas of life and mental health. It not only boosts mood but also decreases fatigue and confusion.3McGinnis, J. L. (2004). After-Exercise Shower: Its Effect Upon Mood. If any of the reasons mentioned above resonates with you or someone you know, it’s time to do some deep inner work and eliminate the problem at its root.
