Things That Are Hard To Do For an Autism Person

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Why it is hard to brush your teeth & take shower? It is hard to do other things too unlike NT.

I don't like brushing my teeth but I do it because I'm s**t scared of dentist bills.

I don't like brushing my teeth, but I do it anyway too, cuz I HATE going to the dentist, I haven't been to one in over 20 years.

I don't particularly like brushing my teeth, but I was fairly content compromising so that I'd avoid fillings, until when I was older I got told I had to do interdental brushing as well. It's just insult to injury really, but I can't fly in the face of the science, so I comply.

I think the reason why I'd rather not bother is that I resent spending the time on it, because it's a chore (chores are too easy so they bore me) and because I'm very prone to be late getting to bed and it doesn't help to have a string of jobs to do before I get there. I suppose the late-to-bed thing could be autism-related, and maybe NTs are more into following conventions, so don't mind as much as I do. But I do it, and it doesn't bother me terribly as a rule. I don't know whether or not it's an ASD thing to resent doing things that don't interest me much. Probably not.

I hardly ever take showers, mostly because I wasn't brought up with them, I think. I enjoy a bath though. Why do a job standing up when you can do it lying down? Anyway I don't have a shower in my UK home, or the money to install one that wouldn't wet the floor and walls and create a mould problem. I don't like shower curtains either, not quite sure why. There's a shower in my US home but I don't like the look of it. It's not very well-maintained and the bathroom is too small for it really. I took a shower in a hotel room once and skidded on the floor, nearly had a bad fall, so that's also set me against them. I don't think autism has much to do with it in my case. I think it's mostly other personal circumstances.

I didn't go to one for a long time when I was younger, and didn't get any toothache. But a molar eventually collapsed so I thought I'd better start going again.

I don't like the bills. The hi-tech stuff is all very well but they know how to charge for it. It wouldn't be so expensive if it was a NHS dentist, but getting one of those is practically impossible these days, and I think you get a better standard of dental care from the private ones. The gov says it's trying to fix the NHS, but it's anybody's guess whether that will happen. It's funny because they've got a 10-year plan but they could be chucked out long before 10 years is up.

It's not hard, I'm just lazy

I can be lazy too. It's why I don't wear makeup or have a fancy hairstyle. Can't be bothered.

Brushing your teeth and showering too often can be bad and make your teeth, skin and hair worse, respectively.

But in North America there is so much stigma that you're seen as a slob or a creep for not constantly keeping yourself clean. And that's why so many people have less resistance to disease and allergens now.

It's also exhausting keeping your home clean. Like doing daily chores such as making the bed, washing the dishes, dusting, sweeping, and then having to it all over again the very next day. When I spent the night at my mother's house yesterday she keeps her home so clean it made me feel bad about my own apartment.

I haven't worn makeup or made my hair look fancy in forever, either. I don't like the way most cosmetics feel, anyway. Greasy, heavy, powdery... and then you have to wash it all off. So many women think they look hideous without makeup, and that's sad. They've been brainwashed.

Wait, people dust their homes?

I have so much clutter (precious clutter) in my home that it'd take hours to move everything in order to dust every day.

I do enough cleaning at work, I can't be bothered to do it at home as well. I only like cleaning if it's deep cleaning. Like, give me a really mouldy, smelly, derelict bathroom or something and I'd quite enjoyably clean it. It's because it's a challenge, and my ADHD brain likes a challenge that doesn't involve math or technology but just simple creativity and problem-solving. Give me a grimy task like that and leave me to get on with it without throwing stupid rules into it and just letting me do it my way, while taking little breaks in-between, and the job will be done immaculately.

But no, my stupid boss has to make life really difficult for people with ADHD. He doesn't understand that checking my phone doesn't mean I'm slacking, it just means that my brain needs a breather in-between tasks in order for me to actually focus and get the task done. The more busier I am where I am challenged to use my creativity skills, the less I'm likely to need to look at my phone. My boss doesn't get this. Bloody work. Why do I have to work for?

I started brushing my teeth & showering a lot less after I moved in with my girlfriend. I had more of an need to do that daily when I lived with my parents because they would have complained. Plus that type of stuff was obviously more important when I was going to school, working, or looking for work.

My problem with showering & bathing is that I've been advised by multiple GP docs & dermatologists when I was a kid, teen & an adult to shower & bath every couple days instead of everyday due to my skin eczema. I do think showering/bathing a little less is better for my skin when I'm not working or doing stuff that gets me dirty. When I'm showering/bathing daily it's more routine for me than every couple days & it's easier for me to keep things up when they're more routine.

When it comes to brushing my teeth I don't have the best fine motor-skills & my chronic sinus problems require me to breath through my mouth as I brush. A lot of toothpaste drips out my mouth while I brush. The dripping is worse when my mouth is more moist so it works better for me to brush my teeth right after waking up before eating or drinking anything. I also take my shirt off & have a towel or paper-towels next to me to wipe my chest & stomach off when I'm done. I don't make much of a mess when eating messy food though. I usually only brushed my teeth once a day right after waking up since the brushing was easier then, it was better for my teeth to be cleaned before going out & being around others, & I used to wake with a metallic taste in my mouth due to GERD before I started taking a med for acid-reflux. I don't like eating anything or drinking soda for a while after brushing my teeth due to the toothpaste taste & I didn't eat breakfast anyway so brushing my teeth right after waking up worked well for me. I started having to eat breakfast due to starting meds & supplements for various things. Cass has a very inconstant schedule for various reasons & I sometimes have to eat shortly after waking due to going out or I want to have a soda next to her on the couch watching TV while she drinks her coffee so my teeth brushing gets skipped. Like showering/bathing not having a consistent routine makes it harder for me to keep up with brushing my teeth. I only had one single cavity in my life when I was in my early 20s & still brushing my teeth every day. I'm 42 so I think there's more factors at play determining if someone gets cavities or not than how often or well someone brushes their teeth.

Cass has a hard time with this type of stuff as well. Some of the reason why is because she has some kind of vertigo or blood-pressure type problems when standing in one place for a while & bending a bit. She also has asthma & the steam of the shower & being more physically active can make it harder for her to breath. She gets tired & worn out easily. Plus she majorly procrastinates with lots of things & forgets because of bad ADHD & executive function problems. Having a consistent routine makes it a lot easier for her to keep up with things. She does that stuff more often than me though due to her feeling anxious about it when having to go out. I'm not as self-conscious as she is & she isn't bothered by me so I have less of a reason to care.