Since becoming a teenager until recently I have not had the attention or interest to practice personal hygiene. It has taken me some time and even adapting my food palate along with watching videos and learning what works for  me to gain the independence I need in caring for myself.

Throughout life, I have always been prompted by my parents and my sister on tasks regarding my personal hygiene. Personal hygiene for autistic individuals such as myself can be quite daunting because of the loads of information, process, steps, etc. It was not that my parents did not try their best to instill the skills and knowledge to make me aware that I needed to care for myself. I just never had the interest in caring for my body in the way that I do now.

It took to realizing that it was something that I needed to have an interest in as I have been looking towards new topics to share on my blog and I had thought that if I was being some sort of “knowledge base” of autism, why couldn’t I fight something as simple as caring for myself?

It has taken until I had finally gotten my medication under control the last month and a half to learn and accept that since I live on my own that I am free to take a shower as I need to. Sometimes, I find it relaxing or just have the need to cleanse myself after an exceptionally long day that is more challenging than others. I have now accepted that if it is necessary, that it is OK to have more than one shower if necessary that day because my body is able to relax more if I am not only clean, but the hot water on my body is very relaxing.

Now as far as applying soap and shampoo throughout my time of showering independently has always been a challenge. In the past year, I have purchased bottles of body wash and shampoo that have a pump on the top and are of the larger size, so they last a few months. While transitioning from one thing to another can be difficult, it has become easier for me within time.

Another thing as it relates to caring for my body is the need to have clothes that fit me properly that can contain my movement and not be irritating or unsightly to others by keeping all my private areas covered and free from friction. Again, this is where YouTube Videos have clarified the need how to have clothing to fit and the best methods for not only wearing them, but also operating them throughout the day.

It has taken considerable practice to understand that not everyone or everything is 100% perfect and that is OK, but the one thing is to always be mindful of how you as a human being appear and present yourself, especially if you are heading out into the outside world, because even if you don’t believe it, others are judging you even if you cannot see it so it is always best to look and feel your best, not because you have to, but because you want to.