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Why Take Morning Showers?

From a person who used to only shower at night, here’s why I switched to showering everyday in the morning!

A big switch I’ve made recently in terms of my daily routine is transitioning from always taking night showers to becoming a professed morning showerer. In the midst of the hot steamy debate surrounding which is better, I have to say that, after trying both out for myself, I have to side with the morning showerers. I can’t completely tell you why I decided to make this change at the beginning of the semester, but I’m so glad I did, and I won’t be going back to night showers any time soon. 

As someone who used to feel strongly about only showering at night, I can say that I get the appeal. At the end of the day, it’s nice to feel clean and fresh before hopping into bed. Taking a shower is a great way to decompress and truly give way to any thoughts that may be clouding up the mind. I like to view showers as a sort of break or activity in which I can truly enjoy myself. This view of showering gains a greater significance in the context of college — where personal time spent alone is a rarity — especially if you have roommates. As a first year, I’ve been lucky enough to be placed in a suite-style dorm and thus have access to a slightly more private bathroom, so showering is one of those scarce opportunities for personal time that I appreciate, getting to occupy myself with a stress-free task where I can let my thoughts flow uninhibited.

After arriving home a little too late from studying at the library last semester, the first thing I would want to do is shower. It wasn’t a sincere “want,” however. My desire was more like wanting to get my shower over with before I could end my day, leading me to feel more stress than comfort in showering at night. A lot of the time, knowing that I still had to shower when all I wanted to do was get into bed and rest before the next day was very draining. 

The time showering at night saved me in the morning was not even worth it, as being a perpetually late individual who struggles with time management, I would still wake up with not enough time to get ready and would have to rush out of the door to make it to class on time. Additionally, I am by no means a morning person, which is another reason I never even believed I could turn showering in the morning into a daily habit. However, after arbitrarily switching to morning showers one day, my mornings are now much more bearable with the energizing rush of water that greets my heavy eyes and dreary mind. I feel more alert and ready for my day to begin. Showering no longer feels like another task to complete, but something I wake up looking forward to. 

Now, I look forward to showering when I wake up and for the rest of my day to occur feeling refreshed and energized rather than tired and groggy. I feel like I fully wake up in the shower, which ensures that no time is wasted in my morning by trying to slowly get into motion or pick up my pace. Playing music in the shower has also been extremely beneficial, as I can set the tone for my day and vibe to songs that elicit feelings of happiness for me — as I mentioned in my recent music column.

As I previously mentioned, time management is something I struggle with, so showering in the morning is one step I have taken to combat this problem and a reason why I have stuck with morning showers thus far. I feel that if I wait until the very end of the day to shower, I’ll most likely take a way longer shower than I need to. This ends up being very wasteful — and not just in terms of water. Instead of completing work or getting rest, I waste time in the shower. Of course, long showers are enjoyable and still something I indulge in every now and then, but I have worked to limit taking such long showers on a daily basis. 

Despite having to wake up a little earlier to shower in the morning, I get more rest at night not having to shower at the end of my day. Since showering is also so effective at helping me wake up, I feel ready to start my day even if I was up late the previous night. As my alarm clock goes off and I’m taunted by the snooze button, I just have to remind myself that waking up 20 to 30 minutes early to shower is always worth it. I’m willing to put this time aside in my mornings in order to feel fresh for the rest of my day. Perhaps my habit of showering in the morning is hindered a little bit over the weekend, but that’s okay. I feel as if this routine provides structure to the weekdays which have a set time that I need to leave for classes. When I have no sort of structure in my routine — like in the summer, for example — I don’t feel the need to create a routine like this for myself. 

That’s why in the specific situation I find myself in, at college with stringent and specific time constraints and responsibilities, showering in the morning has become one of my methods for better managing my schedule. Showering has truly become an empowering way to kick start my mornings — I encourage others who don’t already shower in the morning to try it out.

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