# fear of taking a bath



## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

I've some sort of issue getting nacked to take my morning bath. I feel unprotected and very anxious about it. does anyone have the same issue? does anyone have an explanation for it? I think it's because I had one of my serious crisis while I was on the shower and now I'm conditioned (like a Pavlov effect. I've a lot of those!) does anyone have any suggestions to get through this one? thank you.


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## Ramondo (Feb 16, 2011)

shantiana said:


> I've some sort of issue getting nacked to take my morning bath. I feel unprotected and very anxious about it. does anyone have the same issue? does anyone have an explanation for it? I think it's because I had one of my serious crisis while I was on the shower and now I'm conditioned (like a Pavlov effect. I've a lot of those!) does anyone have any suggestions to get through this one? thank you.


Hi. What have you tried so far to try and fix the problem?
If it's a conditioned effect, there are ways of un-conditioning yourself. 
Can you get in the shower in a swimsuit? Or are you actually showering every day and feeling anxiety every day, or have you stopped showering? Do you have problems being naked when you're not showering? (Is it the shower or being naked that is the problem?)
Questions like this are important in deciding what you should do. Have you spoken to anyone about it?


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

shantiana said:


> I've some sort of issue getting nacked to take my morning bath. I feel unprotected and very anxious about it. does anyone have the same issue? does anyone have an explanation for it? I think it's because I had one of my serious crisis while I was on the shower and now I'm conditioned (like a Pavlov effect. I've a lot of those!) does anyone have any suggestions to get through this one? thank you.


Take a knife with you when you go into the shower.


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## caflme (Jun 7, 2009)

My anxiety is about sitting in water filled with my own dead skin cells... nothing relaxing about sitting in a dirty tub of water filled with the stuff that is soaking off of and out of me. 

I'm a shower person... if I ever do - for any reason - take a bath... I have to shower first... wash my hair and rinse it... get as clean as I think I can get. Get out... rinse and wash the tub and then fill it for the bath. 

Even then it's not altogether relaxing and I can only tolerate it for about 10-15 mins before I have to quit.

Then I have the shower again and rewash my hair... 

So to me... a bath is not worth all that hassle if it's not relaxing anyway.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

shantiana said:


> I think it's because I had one of my serious crisis while I was on the shower...


Do you mean you had a panic attack in the shower?

I don't take baths, but my only fear is that the tub is disgusting. I'm not a germ-a-phobe, but everyone would be grossed out if I posted a pic of the mold growing in it. I don't bother to clean it since only my feet touch it as I shower.

The finish on the tub was also totally destroyed some years back when instead of paying for a plumber I tried to unclog the drain with chemicals. I learned that hydrochloric acid that doesn't eat through the plastic bottle it comes in can & will eat right through the finish on a cast iron bath tub. Still had to pay a plumber $100 to unclog the drain, as acid strong enough to consume a tub, still isn't strong enough to consume a hair clog. If only they could make tubs as durable as hair & plastic!

Actually, I wouldn't mind taking a nice relaxing bath if I had a decent tub. Still haven't taken action on remodeling, since it requires decisions and I'm the most indecisive man around. One thing I did learn is that there is no point in getting a whirlpool tub as I'd have liked. I'm 6' and the tiny 5'6" space for a tub would give me a tub suited for someone considerably shorter, so hardly a place I could relax in a calming sea of bubbles. Space constraints also demand a narrow tub, and I'm not a child nor Munchkin.


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

Ramondo said:


> Hi. What have you tried so far to try and fix the problem?
> If it's a conditioned effect, there are ways of un-conditioning yourself.
> Can you get in the shower in a swimsuit? Or are you actually showering every day and feeling anxiety every day, or have you stopped showering? Do you have problems being naked when you're not showering? (Is it the shower or being naked that is the problem?)
> Questions like this are important in deciding what you should do. Have you spoken to anyone about it?


Hi Ramondo  thank you! you got me thinking. I guess I haven't tried anything except keep on taking a shower every other day. I always feel anxiety but I still do it. I've realized that if I keep the water running the hot water on my back relax me, so that is what I do. the problem is the shower, being naked is not an issue. and this is the first time I talk about it and I'm already glad I did. do you have any suggestions? thank you in advance.


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

LALoner said:


> Take a knife with you when you go into the shower.


LOOOL  I've an issue with knifes! (sorry, it's true) it's like those people that think about jumping when they're on higher places. I fear knifes and what I can do with them. this one is as old as me, I've no clue why I've this reaction. have it since I can remember. it's very disturbing. in the kitchen I'm always putting knifes away (out of sight) and I always feel threaten when people hold knifes near me. but you really made me laugh, which is a good thing


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

Hi caflme, thank you for sharing. it must be really hard for you! I don't take baths for environmental reasons. I feel it's a very big waste of potable water. but I believe my issue is with the bathtub (shower or bath) because that is where I had the biggest crisis.


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## purplefruit (Jan 11, 2011)

I don't like baths, of course because of the dead skin cell thing, also I'm a bit of a germaphobe so I'd have to thoroughly clean the tub every time I decide to take a bath, which would be too much work. I shower instead.

Get a showerhead that attaches to your sink faucet, and wash yourself in your bathroom. My friend recently moved to South Korea, she says that's how bathrooms are over there. I think it's silly because everything gets wet, but I guess it works for some people, so maybe you could try?


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

UltraShy said:


> Do you mean you had a panic attack in the shower?


Hi UltraShy  you and your tub have had quite an adventure! sorry to hear about it. I had a crisis while I was on the shower and then I panicked. before I started with the medication I used to have wild thoughts and feel like someone was laughing of me and I panicked because I felt I was going insane. my shrink told me I have been near that! so I had the worst experience while I was on the bathtub and I was all alone in the house. I had the strengh to call my mother for help but I was unable to do anything else. I was losing my mind. a little worst than a panic attack.


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

Eliza said:


> Get a showerhead that attaches to your sink faucet, and wash yourself in your bathroom. My friend recently moved to South Korea, she says that's how bathrooms are over there. I think it's silly because everything gets wet, but I guess it works for some people, so maybe you could try?


I agree with you: it's silly! but thank you for the suggestion though.


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## Ramondo (Feb 16, 2011)

shantiana said:


> Hi Ramondo  thank you! you got me thinking. I guess I haven't tried anything except keep on taking a shower every other day. I always feel anxiety but I still do it. I've realized that if I keep the water running the hot water on my back relax me, so that is what I do. the problem is the shower, being naked is not an issue. and this is the first time I talk about it and I'm already glad I did. do you have any suggestions? thank you in advance.


Hmm, it seems more complicated than it appeared. So, you've had a few panic attacks in water. Can you swim at the beach or in a pool? Do you mean you haven't told your psych. about it? Are there any other specific situations that cause you to panic? 
If I was a Freudian, I'd suggest that you might have had a near-drowning episode when you were a baby, but I'm not. And I'll let your shrink sort that out. This is out of my depth (if you'll pardon the pun!) 
(PS: we say '*in* the shower/bath', not 'on')


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## lionheart (Jun 16, 2010)

Nlp


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## daniel1989 (Feb 14, 2011)

Bathing is too time consuming waiting for the water to fill up the tub I prefer showers.


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

Ramondo said:


> Hmm, it seems more complicated than it appeared. So, you've had a few panic attacks in water. Can you swim at the beach or in a pool? Do you mean you haven't told your psych. about it? Are there any other specific situations that cause you to panic?
> If I was a Freudian, I'd suggest that you might have had a near-drowning episode when you were a baby, but I'm not. And I'll let your shrink sort that out. This is out of my depth (if you'll pardon the pun!)
> (PS: we say '*in* the shower/bath', not 'on')


thanks for the suggestions  you really got me thinking about sollutions! about the "in" the shower - I'm portuguese and I always had trouble knowing when to use "in" or "on" (sorry) to me they mean the same! I know they don't but I don't know how to differentiate them. for example "than" and "then" I found a very good explanation on the internet! the first one means to compare and the second one means "next"... but about the "in" and "on" I haven't got a clue, lol


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## Tacoma Tiger (Mar 4, 2011)

caflme said:


> My anxiety is about sitting in water filled with my own dead skin cells... nothing relaxing about sitting in a dirty tub of water filled with the stuff that is soaking off of and out of me.
> 
> I'm a shower person... if I ever do - for any reason - take a bath... I have to shower first... wash my hair and rinse it... get as clean as I think I can get. Get out... rinse and wash the tub and then fill it for the bath.
> 
> ...


lol talk about a waste of water.

If I were you I'd get a bath first, then shower to get clean. I mean dead skin cells are going to be in the water anyway no matter how much you clean. Doesn't really make sense to do it the other way around.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Unless it was something like Psycho....actually, Janet Leigh was afraid to take showers after being in that movie. It's not completely surprising.

It is a case of conditioning oneself to be able to do it. Play a radio - LONG distance away from the tub of course. That way you are listening to something and focusing on it so you are not anxious as much.


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

millenniumman75 said:


> It is a case of conditioning oneself to be able to do it. Play a radio - LONG distance away from the tub of course. That way you are listening to something and focusing on it so you are not anxious as much.


thank you, that is a great suggestion! I'll try that one tomorrow morning


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## shantiana (Mar 1, 2011)

millenniumman75 said:


> It is a case of conditioning oneself to be able to do it. Play a radio - LONG distance away from the tub of course. That way you are listening to something and focusing on it so you are not anxious as much.


just a little note to say it's working  I now focus on the noise of the heater fan and the fact that I started talking about it is helping too :clap thank you all.


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