The Sacred Shower. No, Really!
Reposting this oldie but goodie, that newcomers to the Bliss Blog might’ve missed.
I was having such a great time in the shower this morning, that it hit me that maybe not everyone takes their showers as seriously as I do. And I thought, There’s a blog post in this.
And there was. So here it is. Some ways that you, too, can make even your mundane daily (or not, I’m not judging) shower an empowering, happiness boosting experience. You can start right now, today, without having to shop first. I’ll give you my two favorite shower experiences.
Listen to soothing music or a toning type meditation. One of those brain wave tracks would be great. I used to love Heather Noel’s Toning Meditation but I can’t find it online to link to anymore. Thank goodness I downloaded it!
My other favorite shower activity is rocking out. Or, to be more specific, blasting my favorite rock & roll music while signing at the top of my lungs, and often busting a few of my best moves in the shower stall. This activity continues while I perform my other bathroom ablutions, like drying or straightening my hair, dressing and putting on makeup. It only stops when I brush my teeth (and sometimes emerges garbled and foamy even then) so I always wait for a less than favorite song for that. It really messes up the mirror when a song I love comes on while I have a mouthful of toothpaste.
The notion here is to find absolute joy in the most mundane of tasks. You can apply this philosophy to anything you have to do in life.
But while we’re on the topic of bathrooms, let’s talk a bit more. Because really, as women, or at least as women with small children (mine are grown, but I remember,) often the only me-time we get is our bathroom time. Sometimes we don’t even get to be alone in that sanctuary! So it needs to be really special and we don’t need to spend a lot of money to make it that way. A little, but not a lot. It’s more attention and care than money. Some of these suggestions will cost more, some less, but all are going to make your inner sanctum more like sacred space.
*Buy a few of those puffy shower scrubbies in various colors. They’re like a buck in the beauty aisle at the grocery store. *Decide on “your scent.” Spend some time with this. Some of us go through many years without choosing a signature scent. Find yours (and get feedback from your fella, because life will be much more fun if he loves the way you smell as much as you do) and then start stocking up whenever you can, or asking for it for holidays and birthdays and whatnot. Get the whole thing, the body wash, the lotion, the spritz, the perfume, all in your scent. Layer it so it lasts. This could be more expensive than some of the other suggestions here, unless you wait for mother’s day or an anniversary and request the gift basket in your chosen flavor.
*Always have music in your bathroom. You can program several playlists, one for generating high energy, one for soothing and calming your down, one for when you want to feel sexy and frisky, another for when you want to feel powerful and in charge. Enter your sanctum and the first thing you do is turn on the music. *Get pretty towels and washcloths. That can be really nice, and not that expensive, especially if you just get a couple at a time. *Have nice cushy bathmats and rugs on your bathroom floor. *Give yourself permission to have shampoos and conditioners and lotions that you absolutely love, even if they cost a bit more than you want to spend. Things like this, things just for you and no one else, shouldn’t always be the cheapest things you can find. If they are, it devalues you. And since you’re probably the one doing the shopping, that means YOU are devaluing you. And if you don’t value you, who will? *Have a plush robe and slippers in the sanctum, so you can wrap up in them and just bask. Some of my favorite bathroom gadgets: Izunami brand flat iron for straightening hair quickly, easily, beautifully. Around $90.
*A foot soaking tub that plugs in to vibrate and keep the water warm, combined with some lovely foot soaks (or just add baking soda to the water.) *A Ped-Egg for about $7,(and foot lotion of your choice, for after those lovely foot soaks.) *Razors that don’t need shaving cream (but then use it anyway.)
If you can have your own bathroom, do. If you can’t, make the most of your shared one. Keep it as clean and neat as you can without knocking yourself out over it.
Mainly, while you’re in the shower, be really in the shower. Keep your mind present and all your senses engaged. Don’t waste your shower time with your brain somewhere else, worrying about something past or fretting about something future. Be present. Mindful. In the moment. In the shower.
So there are my tips for making your bathroom time sacred. And one last essential: remember to lock the door.