For many years I struggled with caring for my body and even knowing the reasons behind it. I did not realize its value until recently. Taking care of it makes you feel so much better about yourself. It goes beyond knowledge and power. You must understand that you don’t want to feel the way that you do. It requires doing what you need to do to care for yourself and stay clean.

Although autistic people have a wide array of issues with bathing and showering, knowing what works for you is crucial. It’s important to combat the sensory issues and fatigue involved in taking care of yourself. Understanding the importance of doing what is needed to feel, smell, and look good is essential. People don’t always express their thoughts about you directly. Yet, you can sense it by their reactions to you or around you. Their experiences and how they perceive things make this clear, just like autistic people sense their surroundings.

It can be hard to know what needs to be done. But, it is necessary to do it, or things will get bad for our bodies. As autistic people, we can tolerate some pain and discomfort. Nevertheless, I had realized that improvement comes when we clean ourselves up. We must apply what is needed to the area that needs care. It just gets worse. I learned that we must do what it takes. We should make ourselves comfortable doing it. We must be precise in executing the tasks that need to be done to make it a success.

Sometimes it takes those that care for you or love you to make the points known to you several times. They try to reinforce what you need to know. Often, this is out of fear of you being hurt by a person with mean intentions. They know you have what it takes to make things right. They help you avoid others pointing out what you struggle with or neglect in taking care of your body. It is also common for families that care for you to fear losing the ability to remind or help you. They worry about this happening later in your life. They are concerned it catch on, so you do not forget.

To keep hygiene, you need to be brave. Create a routine that is easy for you to follow. Include things that help or make you feel good, preventing feelings of overwhelm. It can be hard to do things in unfamiliar places. But, if you’re willing to adapt, you can succeed. Get the things you need ahead of time. Make those places work for you so you can exist and stay clean.

Even today, I am still finding out more about my body and how to care for it properly. It also means understanding what I need to do. I must care for my whole body. This awareness is crucial. It is essential whenever I can exist in the world without being ridiculed. I can live without being called out, gossiped about, or made fun of. I must know that it is important to care for myself no matter what.