It has been some time since I have been taught the skills of taking care of my body. There has been an extensive time that I have been unwilling to pay attention to it or care for it in the way that I needed to. But lately, I have seen that with new things bring new opportunities.

One of the biggest things that I was unwilling to care for was my facial hair. It was one of those things that just seemed irritating, and I couldn’t make a habit of caring for it on a daily basis. When I lived with my parents and even after I moved out on my own, they continued to prompt me that I needed to shave and especially when there were special occasions that I needed to be clean shaven it was more of a bother than anything else.

One day earlier this year, my electric razor broke, and I had to buy a new one. From that point on I decided to make it a point every day to take the time and shave and eventually it became a habit that was a part of my routine before I showered. Through this I learned that it is so much easier to keep up with my facial hair if I am more continuously caring for it and not let it go to once a week as was the practice in the past.

There has also been more attention to being sure that I am showering more routinely and doing it so that I am clean vigorously in order to prevent issues from occurring. I have found that having bottles that have a pump attached to them makes it easier for me to apply what I need to my body along with waiting for the water to properly temper before just jumping in the shower, something that used to not do.

Laundering clothes used to be yet another issue for me, but it too has become better because in my free time I choose to keep on it regardless of how many clothes have been worn. It can be difficult to follow through with all the tasks involved with the laundry process, but by breaking them down into more manageable tasks has made it easier to accomplish overall.

There should be a desire to care for one’s body. Even though it is something that we cannot feel as humans, there is a reality that eventually I feel grimy in many ways, and I know that there is a need to care for myself, so I am presentable to others. Keeping constant with caring for my body and related items makes it less difficult when there are no other options to get it done.

It is obvious that any milestone can be reached for an autistic person at any age. The important thing is to be persistent and never give up hope that it can be done. One day, the autistic person will catch on to wanting to make it easier for them to do life’s tasks on their own and become more independent. Always presume competence.