Looking After Your Skin and Self During Depression.
When a depressive episode begins, one of the first tell-tale signs is often a lack of interest in your own self care. This means that your skin, your hair, and oral hygiene often gets neglected during these times. On the days where it feels too difficult to get out of bed, the last thing you want to do is a 5 step skincare routine, but breakouts can feel like the end of the world. If you're struggling to maintain your self care during these periods...
Here are some tips on looking after your skin and self during depression - from the comfort of your bed!
Bedside table self-care.
If your struggling to leave your bed on your worst days, it is unlikely that you will want to get up to wash your face, brush your teeth or any other form of self care. By condensing your self care to your bedside table, you don't have to leave the bed to be able to freshen up! In a small box or tupperware, keep travel-size items to be able to easily access when you feel like the 'funk' is coming overwhelming.
Some items to have inside your bedside box include:
deodorant
dry shampoo
body spray/perfume
chewing gum/ mints
micellar water
cotton pads/buds
moisturiser
Go waterless
When it comes to skincare routines, your usual 5-step routine may look a bit more like... no steps. From double cleansing, to missing showers, your skin is going to feel the difference. If you suffer from acne-prone skin, it is likely that you will notice an increase in breakouts, which can feel like the end of the world. People who have dry skin, will probably notice that skin feels tighter and more irritated without normal skin hydration.
You don't have to cut out your skincare completely, even without a sink or shower, most of your skincare steps can be done in bed too!
Double cleansing - it just means cleanse twice! Micellar water, waterless lotions and toners can be used with just a cotton pad from your bedside selfcare box.
Brushing your teeth - sugar-free gum can be chewed to remove a certain amount of bacteria in your mouth and freshen up breath when the sink seems too far away.
Face mists - face mists can help to replace hydration in the skin, with only a spray over the face. They're low effort, but can help to soothe irritation for those with dry skin types.
Deodorant - lets face it, if you've missed a few showers you may be getting a bit whiffy. We get it. However, that smell isn't going to motivate you to shower, if anything it'll encourage you to stay in bed. Deodorants, body sprays and perfumes can be use to help cover up that musk, until you have a bit more motivation.
Something is better than nothing.
Something is better than nothing. Doing small steps to maintain your hygiene is better that doing nothing at all.
Replace activities that take high levels of energy, and replace them with more manageable steps.
If standing in the shower seems too difficult, have a bath. If a bath is too much, a flannel/wipes can help to freshen up the important bits. If a flannel/wipes aren't an option, your deodorant, sprays and perfumes come into play.
If brushing your teeth seems too much, use mouthwash. If you can't get to a sink for your mouthwash, use water and gum/mints.
By making small changes, you can maintain your hygiene, stay fresh and feel more motivated than if you had done nothing at all. By making these small changes, stepping back into your 'normal' routine feels less daunting.
Take away the stress.
Its not the end of the world if your skincare starts to slip in these times. We know that when the world feels like its weighing on top of you, your skincare won't be your first priority.
If you can try and take small steps to avoid falling out of your normality, your skin and mental health will thank you.
Following these tips can help to take some stress out of self-care in depression, and make skincare more accessible if you are feeling unable to commit to your regular skincare routine.
By making small steps, big things happen.
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