Neurodivergence and Personal Hygiene Tips

Taking care of your health is one of the most essential life skills, and it requires consistency.

However, for some individuals, even the simplest hygiene tasks can feel like trying to climb a mountain.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe you have faced difficulties with brushing your teeth, showering, or combing your hair.

If this describes you, you might be struggling with personal hygiene challenges.

Neurodivergent individuals often encounter personal hygiene challenges due to sensory sensitivities, executive dysfunction, a need for routine, difficulty initiating tasks, and more.

If you are dealing with personal hygiene issues, consider consulting a mental health counsellor or neurodivergent coach for support.

This blog serves as a guide to understanding personal hygiene, its connection to neurodivergence, and tips for overcoming the associated challenges.

What Is Neurodivergence?

Neurodiversity encompasses the differences in brain functions across individuals worldwide.

Neurodivergence extends this concept.

In the 1990s, autistic rights advocates recognized that some individuals exhibited brain functions that diverged from societal norms. These individuals were not exclusively autistic. They instead identified with other neurodivergent identities.

From this, Kassiane Asasumasu coined the terms "neurodivergent" and "neurodivergence" around 2000.

Neurodivergence refers to any neurotype where a person's neurocognitive functioning diverges from what is considered "normal." People with these neurotypes are considered neurodivergent. Examples under the neurodivergent umbrella include:

ADHD
Tourette’s
Depression
Anxiety
Learning disabilities like dyslexia
Medical conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy
Autism
Giftedness
And more

Additionally, some neurodivergence, like AuDHD, combines neurodivergent identities, such as ADHD and autism, in the same individual.

Each of these neurotypes presents its own strengths and challenges. Under a neuro-affirming framework, this diversity enriches our world.

As a species, we thrive when each person leverages their strengths and supports others with their challenges.

Neurodivergent individuals encounter unique challenges you may need support with, including difficulties with personal hygiene.

What Is Personal Hygiene?

Personal hygiene consists of various tasks individuals perform to maintain their overall health.

When you maintain good personal hygiene, it involves keeping all parts of your body clean. This promotes cleanliness and helps protect against infection and diseases.

It encompasses:

Body Hygiene: Regular cleaning of your body through bathing or showering to remove dead skin cells and lower disease risk.
Hand Hygiene: Washing your hands frequently to remove dirt, sweat, and bacteria, especially after activities like handling garbage, coughing, or using the restroom.
Oral Hygiene: Brushing and flossing your teeth to maintain oral health, brushing twice daily and flossing once daily.
Nail Hygiene: Keeping nails trimmed and cleaned.
Skin Hygiene: Moisturizing skin and using underarm deodorant or antiperspirants.
Clothing Hygiene: Wearing and changing into clean clothes daily.
Environmental Hygiene: Keeping your living space tidy to reduce odors and disease risks.

Challenges With Personal Hygiene

Finding the time and energy for personal hygiene can be difficult for anyone, but neurodivergent individuals often experience this challenge more acutely.

They may face struggles related to personal hygiene due to various factors:

Executive Functioning Challenges: Neurodivergent individuals often grapple with several executive functioning challenges, including forgetfulness, poor time management, distractibility, task paralysis, difficulty prioritizing, and procrastination. You might forget the last time you brushed your teeth or struggle to prioritize hygiene tasks over important ones.
Sensory Challenges: Certain sensory inputs, such as water running on the skin or its sound, can be overwhelming. Textures of towels or soaps can feel abrasive, making these tasks unmanageable. To avoid discomfort, neurodivergent individuals may avoid these activities.
Lack of Motivation: Navigating a world designed for neurotypical individuals can be exhausting, making it hard to stay motivated to meet these standards.
Sensory Processing and Fine Motor Skill Challenges: Tasks needing fine motor skills and sensory processing can be challenging. For example, brushing teeth, flossing, or buttoning clothes may require dexterity that some find difficult.
Demand Avoidance: This involves avoiding demands due to anxiety or pressure. The multiple steps needed to take a shower can be overwhelming and might lead neurodivergent individuals to minimize exposure to these tasks.
Task Paralysis: Challenges with initiating tasks

Such challenges can hinder your ability to start, maintain, or complete hygiene tasks, affecting socialization, academic performance, and job responsibilities.

Additionally, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled individuals, women, and other marginalized groups may face heightened hygiene challenges due to systemic barriers that drain their energy for personal hygiene tasks.

A coach could help you navigate these difficulties and leverage your strengths to improve your personal hygiene.

Advice for Overcoming Personal Hygiene Challenges

If you resonate with these personal hygiene challenges, you might be wondering how to address them. While the strategies that work for you may differ from mine, here are several tips for managing personal hygiene as a neurodivergent individual:

Break Tasks Down: The idea of multiple hygiene tasks can feel overwhelming. To alleviate this, set a specific time for each task and break them into smaller steps. For instance, brushing your teeth could involve multiple actions, such as getting up, walking to the bathroom, taking out your toothbrush, and so on. Celebrate each step to boost motivation.
Choose the Right Tools: When it comes to brushing your teeth, selecting the right tools can make a significant difference in the experience. Start by choosing a toothbrush that feels comfortable in your hand, such as one with a soft grip and gentle bristles. You may also prefer an electric toothbrush, which can make the process feel easier and more engaging. Similarly, explore different flavored toothpaste options to find one that is pleasant and not overwhelming.
Create a Hygiene Kit: Planning personal hygiene activities can be challenging for neurodivergent individuals. To minimize the need for planning and organization when you have low energy, create a hygiene kit containing essential items like deodorant, mouthwash, and dry shampoo for days when you struggle to shower.
Seize the Moment: When you're having a good day and feel up to showering, do it. If a thought occurs to brush your teeth, act on it. Such moments of energy are difficult to come by and should be utilized. Experiment with Timing: Finding the right time to brush can greatly impact how effective and enjoyable the experience is. Experiment with different points in the day to see if morning or evening brushing yields better results in terms of comfort. Pay attention to how energy levels and mood fluctuate based on when you brush and how that correlates to the rest of your day. Flexibility in timing can help identify a routine that feels the best.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy: a therapist can help you identify your strengths and overcome obstacles, making it easier to initiate, continue, and complete personal hygiene tasks.
Make It Enjoyable: Neurodivergent individuals can struggle with personal hygiene due to a lack of motivation. If a lack of motivation occurs for you, add an element of fun. This includes playing music while showering or choosing vibrant toothbrushes, candles, and hair products to enhance your motivation.
Use Grounding Techniques: Trying to engage in personal hygiene tasks when you feel overwhelmed may not yield success. Consider engaging in calming techniques before tackling these tasks, such as the STOP or TIPP methods.
Keep a Sensory Log: If certain sensory experiences make self-care tough, maintain a log. Use it to identify products and routines that feel uncomfortable. It can help you pinpoint triggers that hinder your ability to complete hygiene tasks, paving the way to coping with these experiences.
Consider Alternatives: Although washing with water and soap tends to be the best practice, it may not always fit your sensory needs. In such cases, something is better than nothing. Alternatives like washing your hair in the sink or using wet wipes, deodorant, and a warm cloth can be sufficient.
Body Doubling and Accountability: When motivation and memory wane, finding someone to remind you or do tasks alongside you can be beneficial. You might find accountability in shared struggles. Sometimes, coaching someone helps you hold yourself accountable.
Accommodate Sensory Needs: Managing a world not designed for neurodivergent individuals can feel draining. Seek out products that suit your sensory needs, such as a toothbrush with a texture you prefer or opting for baths if showers feel overwhelming.
Establish a Routine: Planning, time management, and organization can be challenging. Create a consistent schedule for hygiene tasks that allows you to complete them with minimal cognitive effort. For instance, you can plan to take a bath at 8 p.m. every night and have one regardless of whether you feel you need to.
Set Realistic Goals: Societal standards often overlook neurodivergent needs. When establishing goals and expectations for yourself, consider your energy levels. Remember, just because someone else can do 20 personal hygiene tasks daily doesn’t mean you have to. Focusing on essential hygiene tasks, like brushing your teeth, is more important than trying to meet unrealistic standards to complete all tasks set by society.
Seek Accommodations at Work and School. Many neurodivergent individuals qualify as disabled if they interfere with your daily functioning. This can entitle you to accommodations under the law. This could include permission to use hand sanitizer, work remotely, or work in a more relaxed clothing environment.
Practice Self-Compassion: If you struggle with self-care due to overwhelming emotions and a lack of motivation, treat yourself how you would a friend. If you can't brush your teeth twice daily, aim for once. If flossing seems too much, consider using mouthwash instead. Acknowledge your limits while also gently challenging yourself.

Join Support Groups: Participate in virtual communities where adults share resources and tips for managing personal hygiene collaboratively.
Tackle Tasks in Chunks: If full-body cleaning feels impossible, break it into manageable sections and allocate a small amount of time for each.