NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
For Eve Tilley-Coulson, skipping showers always felt natural<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
Then, two years ago, while on a girls’ trip, she realized her routine wasn\u2019t exactly typical<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
That moment prompted Tilley-Coulson, 37, to reflect on her lifelong approach to showering<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For Eve Tilley-Coulson<\/a>, skipping showers always felt natural \u2014 until a girls\u2019 trip to Nashville, Tenn., two years ago made her realize her routine wasn\u2019t exactly typical.<\/p>\nThe 37-year-old remembers showering Friday morning before the trip and not again until Sunday night. \u201cWe just went to brunch and shopping, nothing that really called for it,\u201d she tells PEOPLE exclusively.<\/p>\n
Her friend, however, couldn\u2019t believe it. \u201cShe showered three times a day all weekend and was like, \u2018You\u2019re not gonna shower?\u2019 And I was like, why would I? It just felt like a waste of time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\nEve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n
Eve Tilley-Coulson in Nashville, Tenn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
That moment prompted Tilley-Coulson to reflect on her lifelong approach to showering.<\/p>\n
Growing up, it was never a household rule. Her dad is British \u2014 \u201cand the British are notorious for not really showering,\u201d she says with a laugh \u2014 and her parents never insisted on nightly baths. Her Montessori preschool, which emphasized choice, only reinforced the idea that showering was optional.<\/p>\n
Even as a teenager playing competitive soccer, she often skipped showers if she was too tired. \u201cI was lucky in that it didn\u2019t really affect me in high school, so I never suffered any repercussions from it,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI\u2019ve pretty much always hated it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After that Nashville trip, though, she started asking herself why. Part of it, she realized, was sensory. \u201cThat weird half-dry, half-wet feeling, being cold and hot at the same time \u2014 I hate it,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until she spoke about her habits on TikTok that she began connecting deeper dots. \u201cI started thinking maybe my dislike of showering had to do with my on-and-off depression, maybe with some OCD tendencies,” she says. “I didn\u2019t just wake up one day and decide I hated showering \u2014 there are reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her honesty struck a nerve. The video went viral, and she received hundreds of thousands of messages from people who admitted they felt the same way.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people don\u2019t comment because they\u2019re afraid of being judged,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I\u2019ve gotten so many DMs saying, \u2018I\u2019m exactly like you. I\u2019ve never thought about the reasons, but thank you for opening up.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
The public response, however, wasn\u2019t always kind. \u201cI also got so much hate,\u201d she admits. \u201cEven though I was getting so many supportive DMs, I thought, okay, what if I could change the narrative? What if I could dig into the reasons? What if I could learn to love showering \u2014 and take it on as a challenge?\u201d<\/p>\n
So, she embarked on a daily shower experiment. To make the process more manageable, she introduced small adjustments: a towel warmer to ease the temperature discomfort, music to break the silence, and reframing the shower as an act of self-care rather than a chore.<\/p>\n
Since sharing her journey, she\u2019s gained a following of over 200,000 people who have connected with her story.<\/p>\n\n![\"Eve](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/INVKbcLF.7dr0lrDPUSNUQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTY0ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/1eb5e0e11c921df2f79563210b89b986\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nEve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n
Eve Tilley-Coulson after the shower<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons people with mental health issues struggle with showering is because they\u2019re alone with their thoughts,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe silence can be triggering or derailing. So I thought, what if I make this a better space for myself?\u201d<\/p>\n
By about day nine, something shifted. \u201cI noticed that when I hadn\u2019t had my shower yet, I actually missed it,\u201d she recalls with a laugh. \u201cAnd I thought, wait \u2014 I like this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nThat shift also revealed a deeper truth. \u201cNot showering sometimes felt like hiding from the world,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like makeup \u2014 when you put it on, you\u2019re showing up. But if I didn\u2019t want to be noticed, if I wanted to retreat into my shell, not showering was another way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon, committing to daily showers \u2014 and talking about it publicly \u2014 became a form of accountability. \u201cIt made me show up, both online and in real life. It was about feeling worthy enough to appear as a person every day, instead of trying to disappear,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n![\"Eve](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4UBA1M4vAOTP_ZPDxxqvPw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTY0ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/fb91b45029567deb3134705b2732c006\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nEve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n
Eve Tilley-Coulson after the shower<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
She also realized how much habits shape perception.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re used to not showering for three or four days, you don\u2019t actually feel gross \u2014 it\u2019s just what your body adjusts to, like not eating breakfast,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut once I started showering daily, if I skipped even 24 hours, I felt gross. Suddenly, I understood why people thought it was disgusting.”<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s all about what your body normalizes,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
For Tilley-Coulson, the journey has gone far beyond hygiene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat outpouring \u2014 both the judgment and the solidarity \u2014 fascinated me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt showed me how something as simple as showering can open up much bigger conversations. People assume there\u2019s one \u2018normal\u2019 way of doing things. But for some of us, there are other layers. Even though it\u2019s just showering, it\u2019s not always that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, she has a plan to make showering an even more intentional practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve committed to adding a new element or doing something additional to romanticize the experience for 30 days,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter that, hopefully I\u2019ll have figured out what I really like, what I don\u2019t, and what makes showering something I\u2019m genuinely excited about \u2014 a real opportunity for self-care every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For Eve Tilley-Coulson, skipping showers always felt natural<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Then, two years ago, while on a girls’ trip, she realized her routine wasn\u2019t exactly typical<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
That moment prompted Tilley-Coulson, 37, to reflect on her lifelong approach to showering<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For Eve Tilley-Coulson<\/a>, skipping showers always felt natural \u2014 until a girls\u2019 trip to Nashville, Tenn., two years ago made her realize her routine wasn\u2019t exactly typical.<\/p>\n The 37-year-old remembers showering Friday morning before the trip and not again until Sunday night. \u201cWe just went to brunch and shopping, nothing that really called for it,\u201d she tells PEOPLE exclusively.<\/p>\n Her friend, however, couldn\u2019t believe it. \u201cShe showered three times a day all weekend and was like, \u2018You\u2019re not gonna shower?\u2019 And I was like, why would I? It just felt like a waste of time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson in Nashville, Tenn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n That moment prompted Tilley-Coulson to reflect on her lifelong approach to showering.<\/p>\n Growing up, it was never a household rule. Her dad is British \u2014 \u201cand the British are notorious for not really showering,\u201d she says with a laugh \u2014 and her parents never insisted on nightly baths. Her Montessori preschool, which emphasized choice, only reinforced the idea that showering was optional.<\/p>\n Even as a teenager playing competitive soccer, she often skipped showers if she was too tired. \u201cI was lucky in that it didn\u2019t really affect me in high school, so I never suffered any repercussions from it,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI\u2019ve pretty much always hated it.\u201d<\/p>\n After that Nashville trip, though, she started asking herself why. Part of it, she realized, was sensory. \u201cThat weird half-dry, half-wet feeling, being cold and hot at the same time \u2014 I hate it,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until she spoke about her habits on TikTok that she began connecting deeper dots. \u201cI started thinking maybe my dislike of showering had to do with my on-and-off depression, maybe with some OCD tendencies,” she says. “I didn\u2019t just wake up one day and decide I hated showering \u2014 there are reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Her honesty struck a nerve. The video went viral, and she received hundreds of thousands of messages from people who admitted they felt the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people don\u2019t comment because they\u2019re afraid of being judged,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I\u2019ve gotten so many DMs saying, \u2018I\u2019m exactly like you. I\u2019ve never thought about the reasons, but thank you for opening up.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n The public response, however, wasn\u2019t always kind. \u201cI also got so much hate,\u201d she admits. \u201cEven though I was getting so many supportive DMs, I thought, okay, what if I could change the narrative? What if I could dig into the reasons? What if I could learn to love showering \u2014 and take it on as a challenge?\u201d<\/p>\n So, she embarked on a daily shower experiment. To make the process more manageable, she introduced small adjustments: a towel warmer to ease the temperature discomfort, music to break the silence, and reframing the shower as an act of self-care rather than a chore.<\/p>\n Since sharing her journey, she\u2019s gained a following of over 200,000 people who have connected with her story.<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson after the shower<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cOne of the reasons people with mental health issues struggle with showering is because they\u2019re alone with their thoughts,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe silence can be triggering or derailing. So I thought, what if I make this a better space for myself?\u201d<\/p>\n By about day nine, something shifted. \u201cI noticed that when I hadn\u2019t had my shower yet, I actually missed it,\u201d she recalls with a laugh. \u201cAnd I thought, wait \u2014 I like this?\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n That shift also revealed a deeper truth. \u201cNot showering sometimes felt like hiding from the world,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like makeup \u2014 when you put it on, you\u2019re showing up. But if I didn\u2019t want to be noticed, if I wanted to retreat into my shell, not showering was another way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Soon, committing to daily showers \u2014 and talking about it publicly \u2014 became a form of accountability. \u201cIt made me show up, both online and in real life. It was about feeling worthy enough to appear as a person every day, instead of trying to disappear,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson<\/p>\n Eve Tilley-Coulson after the shower<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n She also realized how much habits shape perception.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re used to not showering for three or four days, you don\u2019t actually feel gross \u2014 it\u2019s just what your body adjusts to, like not eating breakfast,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut once I started showering daily, if I skipped even 24 hours, I felt gross. Suddenly, I understood why people thought it was disgusting.”<\/p>\n “It\u2019s all about what your body normalizes,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n For Tilley-Coulson, the journey has gone far beyond hygiene.<\/p>\n \u201cThat outpouring \u2014 both the judgment and the solidarity \u2014 fascinated me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt showed me how something as simple as showering can open up much bigger conversations. People assume there\u2019s one \u2018normal\u2019 way of doing things. But for some of us, there are other layers. Even though it\u2019s just showering, it\u2019s not always that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, she has a plan to make showering an even more intentional practice.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve committed to adding a new element or doing something additional to romanticize the experience for 30 days,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter that, hopefully I\u2019ll have figured out what I really like, what I don\u2019t, and what makes showering something I\u2019m genuinely excited about \u2014 a real opportunity for self-care every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
<\/div>