Simple Hygiene Tips for Low-Energy Days (When Everything Feels Hard)
Chronic illnesses and mental health struggles can make everyday tasks feel like climbing mountains. What we don’t talk about enough is how this also includes daily hygiene tasks.
Brushing your teeth. Showering. Doing your laundry.
They all require energy, focus, and motivation, three things that can feel completely out of reach when you’re low on energy and your brain and body are in survival mode.
If this sounds familiar, please know this is not uncommon. Especially for those who are emotionally, mentally, and physically tired.
In this post, we’ll explore why hygiene feels so hard during flare-ups or mental health struggles, and I’ll share a few low-effort, neurodivergent-friendly ways to take care of yourself when you have little to give.
Why Mental Health Affects Hygiene
Struggling with hygiene is often one of the hidden symptoms of depression, anxiety, chronic pain flare-ups, or burnout. When you feel overwhelmed, your energy naturally shifts toward survival. You don’t have the capacity to do your usual daily tasks because you have reached your limit and have no internal resources to draw upon.
You are in survival mode. Survival mode compromises your brain’s executive functions, making it difficult to get motivated, concentrate, plan, follow a sequence of actions, or regulate emotions. When the brain is in survival mode, it prioritises immediate needs and safety.
So a seemingly simple task like “take a shower” becomes a complex chain of steps: get up, go to the bathroom, undress, run water, wash, dry off, moisturise, get dressed, clean up afterwards. It can feel exhausting before you’ve even begun.
You might also relate to the spoon theory, the idea that your daily energy (your “spoons”) is limited. Some days, you have enough to get through the basics. Other days, you might use all your spoons just getting out of bed.
On days like this, carrying out basic hygiene tasks is harder.
Hygiene and Mental Health: A Compassionate Reframe
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that hygiene is about discipline or self-control. But really, it’s a form of care, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.
And care doesn’t have to look perfect.
On low-energy days, the goal isn’t to complete a list of tasks. It’s to find the smallest act that supports you in that moment. That might mean washing your hands, changing into clean pyjamas, or simply brushing your teeth while sitting down. These small actions can help you feel a little more grounded.
For some, the idea of “self-care” or “self-worth” feels out of reach. If that’s you, I want you to know that you don’t have to feel good about yourself to take care of yourself. Sometimes hygiene is simply maintenance or survival.
Try reframing it as something that can support you. You don’t need to deserve a shower. You can shower simply because it might help your body feel a bit more at ease.
Small gestures of care, whether motivated by love, habit, or practicality, can create tiny moments of relief.
6 Hygiene Tips for Low-Energy Days
Below are a few ideas to help you take care of yourself on the days when motivation is low and even basic hygiene feels out of reach.
You don’t have to do all of them. Choose one or two that fit your capacity today. Each one is designed to meet you where you are, not where you think you “should” be.
1. Add a Buffer: Use Music or TV as Gentle Motivation
Some days, the silence feels loud. That critical voice pipes up, your mental to-do list is whirring, and there’s a sense of loneliness.
Adding a buffer like music, an audiobook, or your favourite show can create a sense of companionship and rhythm while you move through the motions. Try:
Listening to a podcast
Playing your current favourite song (if you’re anything like me, it will be one song on repeat until you cringe at the sound of it)
Watching your comfort show or film
These sensory anchors can make hygiene feel less like a chore, and I especially love using them to time myself. A song gets me through a round of teeth brushing (is it called a round?). An episode of a series usually gets me through a bath or the whole shower, dry off, and moisturising routine.
2. Break Free from All-or-Nothing Thinking
If I had a penny for the number of times I’ve reminded clients to challenge their black-and-white thinking, I’d have about £500. It’s human nature. We all do it. But sometimes it just doesn’t serve us.
This is one of those times. Step out of all-or-nothing thinking and enter the grey.
If a full shower feels impossible, try washing your face or just your hands. I remember the days when we’d come home late from seeing family, and my mum would say to just have a “top and tail” wash at the sink. I used to feel so relieved that I didn’t have to have a full bath. (It was the 80s. We didn’t have a shower back then.)
If you can’t change all your clothes, swap your socks or underwear.
Breaking tasks into micro actions helps bypass the pressure to complete the whole routine.
Every step counts. And sometimes, starting with one small action gives you the momentum to keep going.
Progress doesn’t mean doing it all. Doing something is enough.
3. Make Hygiene Easier by Setting Up Your Environment
When energy is low, accessibility is everything so keep essentials in easy-to-reach places.
You might find it helpful to create a small “hygiene bundle” for low days. A bag or basket with basics like wipes, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and clean underwear. Whatever you struggle with most, give yourself a leg up.
Removing barriers means you don’t have to rely on motivation alone. Your environment does some of the work for you.
4. Focus on the Feeling, Not the Task
Instead of focusing on how much effort something takes, tune into what brings you a little joy.
I’m big on scents. Specifically, soft scents. I have two moisturisers that I swap between depending on what I want that day (it’s literally based on vibes). What parts of your hygiene routine do you like? Think about the sound of water echoing in the bathroom, the comfort of soft clothes, or the calm sensation of warm water.
These sensory details, texture, temperature, and scent, can activate the part of your brain that is craving soothing.
Sometimes the anticipation of relief is enough to help you begin.
5. Plan Hygiene Around Your Energy Peaks (Spoon Theory)
If you live with mental health challenges, chronic illness, or neurodivergence, your energy likely fluctuates throughout the day.
Try noticing when you naturally have a little more energy. Perhaps mid-morning or in the evenings when the world is a little quieter. Plan hygiene tasks for those windows.
This is where spoon theory can be useful. You only have a certain number of spoons each day. Using them wisely means aligning care tasks with your energy peaks rather than forcing yourself during a crash.
A five-minute task when you have one extra spoon is often more sustainable than a full routine when you have none.
6. Rest Afterwards: Give Your Body Time to Decompress
Even when you have done something small, your body might need time to recover and regulate.
After a shower or a quick clean-up, allow yourself to pause.
Sit wrapped in your towel for a while. Rest in clean sheets. Sip water. Stare at something that pleases your eye.
Hygiene can stir up physical and emotional energy, especially when you have been running on empty.
Let the aftercare be part of the ritual.
Helpful Products for Low-Energy Hygiene
If certain items make hygiene easier, think of them as tools.
You might include things like:
Dry shampoo or cleansing wipes
Toothpaste tabs or balls (like those from Lush)
A soft body cloth for a quick freshen-up without a full shower
A leave-in conditioner or detangling spray
The thing I love most about low-energy products is that they usually don’t require much water. Great for days of sensory overload.
Recovering After Taking Care of Yourself
Even when you have done something small, your body might need time to recover and regulate.
After a shower or a quick clean-up, allow yourself to pause.
Sit wrapped in your towel for a while. Rest in clean sheets. Sip water. Stare at something that pleases your eye.
Hygiene can stir up physical and emotional energy, especially when you have been running on empty.
Let the aftercare be part of the ritual.
When Hygiene Struggles Signal Something Deeper
If you notice that hygiene has been hard for a long time (i.e. weeks or months), don’t suffer in silence.
Talking to a GP, therapist, or mental health professional can help you find the right kind of care. You don’t have to face it alone.
Tiny Steps Still Count
If you take nothing else from this post, let it be this: your body and mind are doing their best to survive. And on those days, some tasks may look a little different.
One small act of care can start to shift your state and give you a sense of empowerment.
Remember:
You don’t need to do it all.
Just one gentle thing at a time.
