How to Motivate Yourself to Shower (Even When You Don't Want To)

Getting Yourself into the Shower Right Now

Turn on the water to take a big first step. Sometimes in order to accomplish what feels like a monumental task, you have to start small—action inspires motivation. For now, just go and turn on the shower. Get the water nice and warm and think about how good it would feel to climb inside. You'll probably find it much easier to shower once you're actually in the bathroom and have everything all ready to go. The hardest part often lies in simply taking the first step, but with that out of the way, nothing can stop you. If you struggle to physically bring yourself to the shower, imagine how good it’d feel standing under warm, running water, to help motivate yourself.

Take your clothes off to get in the mindset. Once you've made it to the bathroom and got the shower running, strip down and see how you feel. At this point, it’ll probably feel silly to have gone to all that trouble just to shut off the water and put your clothes back on. Since you're already in position, and it requires just as much effort to get dressed again, you might as well go ahead and hop in the shower. When you're lounging comfortably on the couch, the list of things you need to do to successfully bathe can seem overwhelming. Instead of trying to focus on lots of details at once, move things along a little at a time.

Remind yourself why you need to shower to build stakes. If you find that you lack the motivation to shower, it can be helpful to keep in mind what happens when you don't bathe regularly. Dirt, oil and dead cells can build up on your skin, making you feel grimy and uncomfortable. If you go too long, this can cause itching, acne, clogged pores and skin infections, and embarrassing odors.

Building Discipline

Give yourself a pep talk. Instead of waiting around until you feel like taking a shower, talk yourself into making the resolution that you're going to do it no matter what, and stick to it. Give yourself encouraging advice and words of affirmation. You'll start feeling more capable as soon as you shift your attitude from "I don't want to" to "I can do this." For example, tell yourself, “There will always be things that I don’t want to do, but I must do them, because I owe it to myself to take care of me, and I deserve to feel clean and refreshed.” Saying your own name can make you feel more empowered by allowing you to step outside of yourself momentarily and creating a sense of personal accountability.

Think of it as a challenge or game to make it more enticing. Put your pride on the line and start looking at overcoming your reluctance to shower as a way to prove yourself, or a simple way to accomplish something big. This is an opportunity for personal growth, and that sort of accountability is a huge motivator. Start making a list of daily goals to accomplish and put showering near the top. Show yourself that you can do what you set your mind to and you'll feel more in control of other areas of your life as a result. You'll gain a little more willpower and self-control every time you shower when you don't feel like it.

Get in the habit to make showering a consistent practice. Once you manage to make yourself shower, do it again the next day at the same time, then the next day, too. Set an alarm on your phone, or do it first thing in the morning. Don't let yourself skip a day until it's too late. After a week or so, your inertia will start to disappear and showering will become just another part of your normal routine. There's no need to shower every day. In fact, dermatologists now believe that it's actually better for you to only shower a few times a week. This may make dealing with the task easier for you. When showering becomes a habit, you'll start to feel like something's missing if you don't take one, which helps keep you motivated.

Forcing Yourself to Shower

Do some exercise to build a need to shower. Perform an intense workout half an hour before you need to take a shower. You're much more likely to be in favor of a shower if you're sweaty and uncomfortable. Think about how refreshed you'll feel once you're done, or at least how much worse you'll feel (and what people will think) if you don't wash off. Taking a cold or lukewarm shower will help cool you off after a tough workout, which is its own reward!

Have a friend hold you accountable. A support system goes a long way! Persuade a sibling or close friend to nag you about showering every chance they get, asking you, “Have you showered today?” or even scolding you so that you'll feel guilty or embarrassed if you don't get it done. Instruct your helper to be as intrusive and annoying as they need to be in order to push you. If you're really serious about getting a friend to help keep you accountable, hand over the money in your wallet and tell them not to give it back to you until you've showered. Bringing a respected elder or authority figure into the mix can compel you to shape up by causing you to fear the consequences of disappointing them.

Set alarms for yourself. Schedule a series of alarms on your phone that will direct you to shower when they go off. If you tend to be forgetful, this will help remind you that you haven't done it yet. If you're just being stubborn, the alarms will serve as a stern, persistent voice demanding that you take care of business. Do you really want the alarms to win? Didn't think so. Take a shower! Make the alarms sporadic at first, then set subsequent alarms closer together as it gets closer to whatever time limit you've imposed on yourself (going to bed, getting ready for a date, etc.). Similarly, turn down the thermostat in your home, so that a shower feels like a nice, warm alternative to your cold surroundings.

Motivate yourself with a high-stakes situation. If you have a business meeting, dinner plans or an important event to attend that you need to look your best for, let it get down to the wire so that you have to get in the shower before you can finish getting ready. The closer it gets to time to leave, the more necessary it will be for you to clean up, until you just don't have a choice anymore. Keep in mind that you might make a bad impression if other people can tell that you haven't bathed. Finding compelling reasons to get things done is often more motivating than just feeling like you should.

Making Showers More Enjoyable

Think of the shower as much-needed self-care and relaxation. Showering doesn't have to be a hassle. In fact, it can be quite a pleasurable experience. Turn the water up nice and hot and delight in the sensation of the tiny streams prickling your skin. Breathe in the steam and feel its warmth spread through your body. Or, crank the water to cold and make it a challenge—cold showers have fabulous effects on mental health! Showering serves as a time out from the rest of the world, giving you a chance to be alone and get some much-needed peace and quiet. Try not to overdo it—too much time in a hot shower on a regular basis can strip your skin of the healthy, natural oils it needs.

Take a bath, or sit down in the shower, instead. There’s no need to stand up to get clean. Draw a warm bath if reclining is more your style. Or, if you don’t have a tub, simply sit down on the floor of your shower and let the warm water run over you. It’s a low-effort way to get clean, without too much stress. Don’t worry so much about soaping and shampooing, if those seem like too much effort. Even a quick rinse is better than nothing!

Treat yourself to some luxurious bathing supplies. Stock up on scented soaps or silky body washes, bath bombs, essential oils, or a fluffy new loofah. You'll hardly be able to wait to take a shower if you're excited about pampering yourself. When you use these types of products, you'll also feel totally refreshed once you leave the shower, which can make you look forward to the next one. Change up the scents and formulas of your bath products every few weeks to keep them from getting old. For example, you might use a fresh-smelling floral body wash during the summer, then switch to an evergreen fragrance for the winter months.

Put on some music or a podcast to entertain yourself. Make shower time more entertaining by playing a few of your favorite songs and cranking up the volume. Listening to music will give you something to focus on other than the tedium of lathering, rinsing and repeating. You can even have your own private dance party or sing along as loud as you like—as long as the other people in the house don't mind. Invest in a watertight phone case or some waterproof speakers that you can bring into the humid bathroom with you.

Clean your bathroom to also declutter your mind. It's less fun to climb into a shower covered with mold or soap scum and hair clogging the drain. Clean your bathroom and give everything a good wipe down with a multipurpose cleaner and see if you can still resist that spotless, inviting shine. To prevent mildew and keep your bathing environment sanitary and inviting, aim to clean your shower every 2-3 weeks. Mix up a quick, organic cleaning solution using two parts white vinegar and one part warm water. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils for a more pleasant scent.

Temporary Shower Alternatives

Wash just your face and private parts instead. If you really can’t bring yourself to shower, focus only on the most important parts to practice hygiene without a shower. Splash some water on your face (and mix in some face wash, too), and use a hygiene wipe to get your groin and backside. You’ll feel refreshed, and the baseline hygiene will be taken care of. While you’re at it, wipe down the rest of your body with hygiene wipes, as well, for a more thorough clean. Apply a touch of baby powder to your skin to absorb excess oils, too. Definitely use some makeup wipes to scrub away any old makeup, too. Also, dry shampoo your hair to take care of it without water.

Wear deodorant or perfume to mask any odors. When you reach this point, a shower is imminent. But if you don’t have time or have too large of a mental block, hit your underarms with some deodorant to keep you smelling fresh until your next shower opportunity. Also use a fabric spray to add some fresh smell to your clothes.

Brush your teeth to feel more refreshed. Even if you can’t hop in the shower, it helps to give some part of your body its proper TLC. Grab your toothbrush and brush your teeth, floss, and use mouthwash. Go the whole nine yards. By the end of the routine, you may have the momentum to hop into the shower, anyway. Or, brush your teeth and shower at the same time. Two birds, one stone!