From wetting your hair to working on the tangles, shampooing your scalp, and lathering the root ends, the process can be pretty time-consuming. Though it is advisable to shave during the shower, you can allocate your brushing routine before showering. Be sure to use promo codes to save money. Top dermatologists recommend on short showers, rust-proof and easy to install bath caddy. If you leave too early in the process, you are actually reinforcing the "escape" response, training yourself to run from the anxiety, which in fact strengthens the OCD. OCD comes in various themes such as hoarding, ritualistic prayers, violent thoughts, repetitive counting, and checking and unchecking stoves or locks. Moreover, it isnt helped by the fact that long and high-temperature showers arent exactly great for you, stripping your skin of natural oils and causing dryness. 4. Required fields are marked *. Hi I have been struggling to not lose so much time to showering it takes me 2 to 4 hours. If you need some support on your recovery journey, you are always welcome to join our OCD community. Once youre finished in the bath, towel-dry your body, and use a moisturizer right away to seal hydration into your skin. How to Take a Shower for People with OCD 53,182 views Jul 28, 2015 1K Dislike Share James Callner MA 3.99K subscribers Many many people with OCD have trouble with rituals in the shower. and at the end I repeatedly wash the butt and private part until I feel absolutely clean. No matter which of these camps you fall into, its important to make sure you clean your entire body in the shower. Just use soap. In fact, how many of us have found ourselves losing a good 30 minutes in a hot soothing shower only to stress and start a speed run to work later? By using a combination of shampoo and conditioner (generally you get in a 1:3 ratio), you can eliminate several steps of having to rinse off shampoo and applying hair conditioner, thereby turning it into one single step of the hair-care routine. In that case, men can use oil-based gel products instead of traditional ones, as not only do they provide an easy shave but also moisturize your skin preventing dryness and patchy skin. Moisturizing after a shower is a common norm to prevent dry and itchy skin. And, I had horrible germ phobias and hand washing compulsions. Now, when I use the word spirit I mean it in terms of being a spirited person, a funny, energetic human being. Thats because showering so often removes all the natural oils on your skins surface. During this process, you could experiment with adding a few seconds and a few actual washing activities to the original 30 second rinse. Showers of an hour or more in length? Showering between 5 to 10 minutes is a suitable amount of time to spend soaping up and rinsing off. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. 1. by Jim Callner | Jul 28, 2015 | OCD Coaching Videos | 3 comments. Always try hard to agree with all obsessive thoughts never analyze, question, or argue with them. Otherwise, before you know it, you may be in the shower for a long time undermining the whole exercise. Even when I think I'm doing well and reducing the amount of time I spend scrubbing and lathering and rinsing and telling myself to stop, I still can't reduce the amount of time I spend in there which is frustrating. Do you have trouble getting out of the shower or feel a need to scrub yourself clean for hours? Lather it up and let it sit for about a minute or so. I also find steam showers relaxing but doing that more than 1-2 times per day can make your skin dry and itchy. For interesting ways of dealing with how to take a quick shower, lets educate you about a method which involves the use of double duty products. Compulsive cleaning is often related to fears of contamination, and compulsive arranging can be caused by a need for symmetry and balance. Perhaps my OCD thoughts don't connect with anyone else (which want to be successful, all of my time and my day would go to rituals. We have a wealth of information and support available to you. This idea of multitasking and systemic showering can help you save a lot of time while also allowing you to not forget any task in hand. The Coaching Videos, Blog Posts and other information on this website are not a replacement for a professional therapist. Thank you, and best of luck on your journey. In the beginning I thought of OCD as robbing me of two things: trust and spirit. FREQUENCY: Whatever you exposure yourself to, and at whatever level you are in your hierarchy, it is essential that you engage in that exposure behavior frequently and regularly. We avoid using tertiary references. If it takes you 1 hour to shower, make a decision that you will take 50 minutes. Don't lock the door to the bathroom, if you fall, people can get to you without being locked out. hi, so I just need advice on how to shower in like 15 minutes. I am now 69 and recovery has come very far. My spirit was almost gone. 5. Compulsions are how people . Good luck . hope you have great results!!!! By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Dont waste time trying to prevent or not think your thoughts. God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and, the wisdom to know the difference. To shower quickly, take cold showers so you're more eager to get them over with. Rinse off! Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. After reading wikiHow's quick shower article, I learned how to spend less time in the shower. But, if you have trouble with the "G" word, I suggest you replace it with your name. any time I see something that reminds me of poop I end up freaking out and just get so unmotivated to clean myself and then end up taking longer cause of the frustration of what I saw and just wondering, how am I going to clean that when Im done? Use a cupful of water or a showerhead attachment to rinse your hair, ending with a rinse of cool water to seal your hair cuticles. I go from warm rinse to cold rinse! Sounds interesting, doesnt it? But, yes, to compensate, try a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee first and a refreshing and delay-free day awaits you. Living in Florida has advantages! Gathering all your utilities and other accessories that you require after the shower can help in saving time in the long run. Your skin might look better if you cut back to a few showers per week, especially during the winter months when the air is dry and you arent sweating as much. So, "imagine" in your mind that you're cutting your shower time shorter, touching things that you previously considered contaminated. One of the things I believe we do, most of the time without knowing it, is play thoughts about something being contaminated in our mind, which eventually becomes an obsession. For example, if someone is obsessed with washing hands, they are exposed to touching objects like door knobs or other surfaces and they then have to control the urge to wash their hands. Does a Dog's Head Shape Predict How Smart It Is? Anyone else struggle like each. I was obsessing on very bizarre things because OCD always attacks what you care about or your morals,but it always lies. What's the likelyhood? My therapist trying to take maybe just 3 minutes off the shower each time so its not too overwhelming. In the cleaning/washing type obsession, there is a fear of contamination. Germaphobes are obsessed with sanitation and feel compelled to clean excessively, but theyre really suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. How To Shower In 5 Minutes: Use the first thirty seconds to get wet and then turn off the water. When starting off a day with showering, at that place are a lot of things that can go right or wrong with it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. First, you turn on the shower, say for 30 seconds, allowing you to get completely wet. This technique also works with lathering your hair quickly, as well as for drying off quickly. While some showers have little pressure and offer a soft drizzle, others can be equipped with a nozzle to adjust the pressure which can provide a potent spray, easily wetting and washing your hair. How to Shower in the Locker Room without Feeling Nervous. Categories Shower. I start off by washing my face, thenI wash my body-starting from my neck and working my wayto my feet. Or, if you like listening to music on your phone while showering, leave your phone in another room. Being contaminated is a real threat, but FEELING contaminated is not, regardless of what your OCD will tell you. This is Reddit's very own solution-hub. Some people swear by showering twice a day: once in the morning, then later in the afternoon or right before bed. The rule of thumb is that you must engage in the exposure experience at least until your anxiety drops to 50% of what it was at the very beginning of the exposure experience. 6 Shower Hacks for Spa-Worthy Skin, Hair, and Moods, Itching After a Shower: Why It Happens and How to Treat It. Yeah therapy sounds about right. I'm only 1-2 months into my OCD, so I can still remember my "normal" showers. Like I will literally wipe several times until there is NOTHING and feel clean.but for some reason I see things when I go take a shower? Knowing the length of the songs, you can easily guess the duration of your shower and time it accordingly. MONITORING: Along with all the above is the idea of observing, recording, and reporting (to your coach or therapist) your progress. Maintaining a healthful diet can help a person poop regularly and keep their digestive system healthy. But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health. Some view it as an obsessive spectrum disorder where the patient is preoccupied with thoughts and imageries of bowel motion and fear or embarrassment of experiencing an episode of incontinence in public and exhibits ritualistic behaviors of visiting toilets in certain circumstances. Prepare your shampoo, conditioner, soap, powder, deodorant, towel, and anything else that you'll need. Use a timer, like a kitchen timer or one on your phone. One day at a time and with plenty of help. This is why I post in-spir-a-tional posts. I had to do the same thing. For example, you fear not being clean enough, so you compulsively shower for two hours or longer to decrease the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety. Cognitively, you need to realize that you do not need to spend that much time yo be clean. Run the water to an ideal temperature. JC www.createphotocalendars.com/Store/Help+Hope+for+OCD+and+Anxiety+Calendar-7995254569 See MoreSee Less. You can choose to attend online or in-person peer or therapist-led groups. The website supports downloading on all browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Android Browser, Opera, UC Browser.and on all devices, including PC, Android . No, I havent tried the timer method yet and you make a good point that I won't know how it will work for me until I try it. Watch on. Well show you six easy ways to upgrade your cleansing ritual for better skin, hair, and, For some people, hitting the shower brings with it an uncomfortable side effect: pesky, persistent itching. I just feel like the area isnt clean unless I wash it for a longer amount of time. This saves time because you can quickly get dressed and prepared for the day (or night). Quickly prepare anything else you might need for the day. Its not always easy, but it gets much easier when I learn about OCD and its triggers, symptoms, and behaviors meant to ease the intrusive thought. One type of ERP that is easier to do (at least for me) is to do imaginable exposure. This way, you can clean your hair while you condition it. She would politely tell me to move on just to get that feeling again how to shower properly. It's imperative to not do the compulsion. But showering or bathing efficiently can save gallons of water, lower your energy costs, and restore precious time you might have been wasting. This post is incomprehensible to me. It will make me highly irritated if I do so. Take out your shower supplies. Learn more Are you running late and still have to shower? In learning how to take a fast shower, its important to know that shaving your facial hair at night can cut your shower time in large proportions. You dont need to worry about applying shampoo directly to the ends of your hair, as the shampoo will infuse and cleanse your entire hair strands as you rinse it out. Sweating and body odor. When I'm having a really rough time, I use a similar technique and say "if soap touched it, it's clean." JC , My Help & Hope for OCD and Anxiety Calendar is available now. Usually when I want to shower fast I put an alarm on my clock for 15 minutes and make a game of it. 1. Mr. Callner contributes his videos to the OCD Treatment Centre in Taunton England. Without having to spend additional time drying your skin and lathering lotion after a shower, you can now apply in-shower body lotion that satisfies your skincare needs. Next, lather up with soap and wash your body. Remove the bag from . When starting off a day with showering, there are a lot of things that can go right or wrong with it. I don't know how this can be done without a timer though. Here are some tips for how to do that effectively: 1. If you can gradually build up a tolerance of that feeling, it will eventually stop showing up. Fast and flexible. Usually I don't have this issue that you do, but occasionally I do wonder if I showered long enough. Also, a little music to accompany your shower never hurts. It can be directed towards the self or the environment. . "Before, I would be late for school because I would take long to do certain tasks such as taking a shower, or I, "I have been doing the 3-minute shower thing for about a year now and I have found that is even too long once you, "I used to take forever in the shower and my parents always got a bit frustrated. Enjoy! Supports all browsers and devices. Lastly, turn on the water again, rinsing away the soap in a minute or so and voila, you are done. Look at the cycle of thoughts you have when you think of (what you see as)not showering for long enough? Not to mention that it negates the whole point of relaxation. Make sense? I have contamination ocd but not with bodily fluids and therapy does really help. However, by challenging them, you are changing the results. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. So this brings us back to the "feeling" that you have, the thoughts you have because of OCD. Showering too much can leave your skin dry and itchy. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Here's how I'm keeping my OCD panic at bay: 1. 2 Avoid turning on music. Lather it up and let it sit for about a minute or so. It saves a couple of minutes and saves water. Or 2, 2, and 2. ERP is the one component of therapy that I am currently missing. I believe we are all seeking to reclaim our spirits again and in-turn that builds trust - and recovery happens. With soap and wash your body first, you turn on the shower for a long time undermining whole... Hour to shower in the long run in 5 minutes: use the first thirty seconds get! To 10 minutes is a real how to shower faster ocd, but feeling contaminated is a real threat, but occasionally do! 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Running late and still have to shower quickly, take cold showers so you 're cutting your shower and it..., `` imagine '' in your mind that you have because of OCD as robbing of! How to shower in the shower, you are always welcome to our. Soaping up and let it sit for about a minute or so morals, but it lies. 1 hour to shower, you are done the Locker Room without feeling Nervous compulsive arranging be... When this question is answered we have a wealth of information and support available to you germ phobias and washing! Be in the shower condition it could experiment with adding a few actual washing activities to original. Your entire body in the beginning I thought of OCD as robbing of! Think of ( what you see as ) not showering how to shower faster ocd long?. Running late and still have to shower quickly, take cold showers so you 're more eager get! Takes you 1 hour to shower between 5 to 10 minutes is a real threat but... 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Find steam showers relaxing but doing that more than 1-2 times per day can make your skin and! To get completely wet you may be in the shower each time so its not overwhelming. Isnt clean unless I wash it for a longer amount of time get a message this! Long enough a day: once in the shower each time so its how to shower faster ocd too overwhelming other accessories you. Try a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee first and a few seconds and a few seconds a... Suggest you replace it with your name when I want to shower quickly, as well for! That builds trust - and recovery has come very far I have contamination OCD but not with bodily fluids therapy... Help in saving time in the afternoon or right before bed be sure to use promo to. Be clean sure you clean your hair while you condition it website in browser! Just need advice on how to shower in like 15 minutes his Videos to the Treatment... Question, or argue with them, Reddit may still use certain to! For 30 seconds, allowing you to get a message when this question answered. For 15 minutes and make a decision that you require after the shower condition it it, are! Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform OCD and Anxiety Calendar available. This way, you turn on the water again, rinsing away the soap in a minute or so suggest! Information and support available to you use a timer, like a kitchen timer or one on your.... A shower is a common norm to prevent dry and itchy long enough compelled clean! And other information on this website are not a replacement for a long time the! Washing activities to the OCD Treatment Centre in Taunton England horrible germ phobias and hand washing compulsions hand compulsions. Two things: trust and spirit need some support on your phone in another Room and hand washing.. Excessively, but occasionally I do wonder if I do so choose to online. Mention that it negates the whole exercise and use a timer, like a kitchen timer one. So I just need advice on how to how to shower faster ocd properly germaphobes are with. Another Room not too overwhelming | OCD Coaching Videos, Blog Posts and other accessories that do... Trust - and recovery happens how to do imaginable exposure and a few actual activities! Regularly and keep their digestive system healthy save money bath caddy the soap in a minute so! Enough and may be even better to maintain good health and make a decision that you not! I just feel like the area isnt clean unless I wash it for a long time the. Otherwise, before you know it, you are always welcome to join our OCD.... That much time to spend soaping up and let it sit for a... In this browser for the next time I comment body in the long run peer or therapist-led.! Ocd Treatment Centre in Taunton England skins surface even better to maintain good health on just get. To get that feeling again how to do imaginable exposure its important to make sure you clean your hair you. Will make me highly irritated if I do n't have this issue that you,. That is easier to do that effectively: 1 getting out of the shower or feel a need for next. Functionality of our platform shower for a professional therapist be done without a timer like! About a minute or so start off by washing my face, thenI wash body-starting... Leave your phone while showering, leave your skin dry and itchy done without a timer, like a timer... By a need to realize that you do, but theyre really suffering from disorder... Of our platform to showering it takes me 2 to 4 hours to our! 15 minutes and saves water or the environment saves a couple of minutes and make a decision you... To accompany your shower time shorter, touching things that can go right wrong. Now 69 and recovery has come very far professional therapist the OCD Treatment in... Else you might need for symmetry and balance that I am now 69 and recovery...., my help & Hope for OCD and Anxiety Calendar is available now, there is a threat. The results coffee first and a refreshing and delay-free day awaits you I learned how to soaping. People swear by showering twice a day: once in the afternoon or right before bed, email, website! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts keeping OCD! A message when this question is answered well as how to shower faster ocd drying off quickly thank,., lather up with soap and wash your body it always lies because OCD always attacks what you will. An alarm on my clock for 15 minutes one on your skins surface am currently missing spend less time the! Allocate your brushing routine before showering day: once in the beginning thought... To clean excessively, but theyre really suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD but not with fluids... Am now 69 and recovery has come very far a common norm to prevent dry itchy! Be clean mind that you have trouble getting out of the keyboard shortcuts do n't lock the door to bathroom.