recently my hygiene had been slipping and im not sure why. i barely shower anymore, i dont really brush my teeth, i dont bother with perfume anymore and it just makes me feel disgusting all the time. i dont know if this is connected but ive also been feeling really burnt out, and i have no energy to do anything. like as soon as i get home from school i just go to sleep and i sleep most of the time during non school days. it just makes me feel rubbish and id like to know what to do
Sam
Hi there,
Feeling low or burnt out can have a big effect on you. It can make it hard to do things you’d usually find easy, like taking care of yourself. Sometimes things can get stuck in a cycle where the less you do the worse you feel. Breaking that cycle isn’t always easy, but there are things that can help.
Doing one or two things each day to take care of yourself or feel proud can help to start breaking this cycle. If things like brushing your teeth feels like too much, try breaking them down into smaller steps. For example, you could try standing up, then walking to the bathroom, picking up the toothpaste, and then keep going from there. Focus on just the next step and remember it’s okay to stop if you need to. Remember, even if you don’t finish something, focus on what you were able to do.
When you’re feeling like this, the most important thing to do is to get support. It can sometimes feel like you don’t want to admit what’s happening or like you have to do it alone, but that’s not true. You don’t deserve to feel this way. Try to think about the people you trust in your life, it could be a teacher, someone at home, or an adult you get on with. Telling them that you’re struggling can help them to support you through this.
There can sometimes be things outside of our control that make us feel burnt out. It could be schoolwork, things at home, or something that’s happened. Sometimes you might not know the reasons at all. It can help to think about whether there are things you could change in your routine or things people could do to support you with what’s happening. It’s also good to get support from your doctor, especially if you’re struggling to sleep or you’re tired all the time.
Childline is always here to help with how you’re feeling. You can get support from our counsellors to talk about what’s happening, you can also share things on the message boards with other young people.
Take care,
Sam
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