Hi! Not meaning to lecture, but hey. If you smell bad that is not going to help you feel any better. I agree bathing can seem like a chore but you will feel better if you get cleaned up!

I have about the same showering habits myself but I live alone so no lectures....just smelling myself to check if I need a shower is not enough...and now with the cold I am less inclined of course to jump into shower....but I do get a few of them per every so often and if I need one I take one...but I do not really consider myself down deep in depression either....just guess that shows I might be more than I think....

Are you able to keep up with laundry? Knowing you have nice clean clothes to put on once you shower might help motivate you.

I agree that it can be hard but I do make a point of taking a shower each day, even if I'm not working. Just the bare minimum. Are you able to leave the house at all?

I think if you can stop yourself from smelling in some other way, you won't need to shower. The flatmate shouldn't have to tolerate pong. But the french, for instance, historically used to wash themselves with rubbing alcohol. You can do most of your body that way very well and you don't have to expose your whole body. Bare an arm, wash it. Cover it back up. Bare the other arm, wash that... etc. But you do need to wash your bits daily. perhaps take a bucket, flannel and some soap into the toilet and sit on the loo and wash yourself properly. The reality is that girls need to wash their bottoms daily. Nobody likes living next to a fish factory.

Or else you know, go medieval and wear fifteen petticoats. That way nobody can smell a thing. :)

PS you have to change your clothes and wash them too. There is no place you can live where people won't expect this. It's very hard when you're very depressed - but you have to find a way to manage. I look back on my worst times and what embarrasses me most is how bad I must have smelled. That really embarrasses me still.

Some people don't actually need a daily shower. A doctor, that I used to work for, told me that Americans take too many showers and she recommended 2 x wk. It is better for you skin and hair.

Of course, If you are getting really dirty/sweating heavily or have greasy hair....Daily showers are a must. Or at least wash up with a washrag. And wash your hair in the sink to get out the excess oil.

Some people don't actually need a daily shower. A doctor, that I used to work for, told me that Americans take too many showers and she recommended 2 x wk. It is better for you skin and hair.

Of course, If you are getting really dirty/sweating heavily or have greasy hair....Daily showers are a must. Or at least wash up with a washrag. And wash your hair in the sink to get out the excess oil.

Your original question. Yes, I have a hard time with daily showers, due to pain and lack of energy. I am disabled though and don't do much to make me real sweaty. I do: however, wash up in the sink in the morning and evening. Best wishes.

Yes, I'm on thyroid meds too, but they need adjusting. I'm falling into a pit of depression. My current roommate can't house me anymore because she's allergic to my dog.
What did you do in therapy that helped?

I think you need to go back to the doctor and discuss options. A thyroid out of whack alone can cause this pit of depression. I agree that therapy can help but I am a firm believer in medicine. My real therapy was making myself get up and take a shower everyday. I could talk to a therapist for weeks but we kept hashing over the same topics. I kept going back to the doctor (different ones) until I found treatment that worked. You need to go see an endocrinologist to get your hormones under control.

2 showers a week is more than I can do when feeling very down. Having someone breathing down my neck would drive me bezerk. Unless you have a romantic relationship with someone, are out circulating with people all day, or have body odor issues - I don't see the problem. Lectures are usually from someone looking for control. A sympathetic or empathetic ear would go alot further in my book.

Yes I'm on thyroid meds. Something needs to be adjusted as I'm falling into a pit of depression again. It's stressful looking for a new place. I've got to move because my roommate is severely allergic to my dog!
What therapy techniques worked to get you to be able to shower daily?
Thanks for your support, all.

I just had a cutoff time and I used an alarm. I would make myself take a shower no later than 7:00 am. You can set anytime you want but you need to have the alarm tell you to do it.

One thing you could do is write a Daily To Do List for yourself. Things that you can do for yourself that will make your life better. The secret is for the Daily To Do List to work it can't be optional. Everything on the list has to be completed and checked off. I keep my list on my phone. My depression is so bad that I have to follow my list and if you skip one day then it's not going to work. It takes about 3 weeks for something to become a habit so if you follow and do everything on your list every day every 3 weeks you can add a new task. It can be something fun too.
My Daily To Do List starts with: Make Smoothie, TaiChi, Shower, Make Bed, etc, etc, etc, Try it! :)

I'm seeing an Endocrinologist, psychiatrist, the works. They're still trying to find out exactly what's wrong with me and the right combo of meds!
Thanks for all the support. It really means a lot to me. I'm having a hard time just barely functioning, so the laundry has gone by the wayside, too. I don't smell and 2x/wk showers suits my body just fine, so it is the control issue bothering me right now. Like I said, I'd appreciate the help, but...

Glad you are still going to the doctor. Keep going back until you feel better. I know they'll find the right combination.