“Churching Up” The Bathroom

February 10, 2022

My favorite room in the house is quite possibly the bathroom. I love the spiritual qualities it has. It’s a place of personal reflection, renewal and cleansing. It’s a great place for letting go of thoughts that don’t serve you, and for manifesting all your desires. Water is symbolic for spirituality. I also find it to be a place of fertile creativity. Many of my blog posts are inspired while I’m taking a shower. But if you’re anything like my client who’s a musician with an EP dropping any day now (check out Ugly Animals on Spotify!), you might not have the spoons to keep your bathroom organized. Every once in a while, it’s important to take a self-care break to regulate your cosmetics. In this post, I’ll give you some tips for how to “church up” your bathroom routine.

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)? HSPs have a strong sensitivity to physical, emotional or social stimuli. You may have been told that you’re “too sensitive”, but it truly is a gift once you learn how to manage your sensitivities. For most people, that means removing the sensory stressors where the consequences outweigh the benefits. In regards to bathroom products, this means that it’s important to carefully read the labels so that you avoid potential triggers. Certain ingredients, chemicals, and fragrances can unnecessarily send an HSP over the edge. Lighten your load by choosing cleaner alternatives. As an HSP myself, I pick my battles. Since the skin on my face is so sensitive, most of the products I use are made by Beautycounter. They have a strict list of ingredients so are often a popular choice for other HSPs.
Get rid of any products that you don’t like, don’t use, or are expired. Unopened bottles can probably be donated to a local food bank (some also take opened bottles as well). Your local Facebook Buy Nothing group is also a great place to give away hygiene products that you don’t want anymore. Trash anything that’s expired or gross. By keeping things around that aren’t good for you, or that you don’t like, you’re telling the universe that that’s ok with you, and to keep sending you more of what you don’t like. Don’t do that!
Practice choosing. Are you out of the habit of saying what you like and don’t like? Many people don’t believe they’re allowed to just like something because they like it, and that they’re allowed to say no to things they don’t like. Get in the habit of expressing your preferences, as mundane as you think they might be. I LOVE soap, so right now I probably have at least 5 different kinds of shampoo to choose from, 4 different types of bar soaps open, 3 types of shower gel, and who knows how many different lotions to choose from. Every day, I tune in with my senses to honor what my body is choosing to use. If you’ve been someone who’s muffled your preferences for the sake of people with louder opinions, now is your time to let your truth shine. By getting good at expressing your opinions, it will be very healing for your throat chakra.
Practice self-adoration over vanity. I used to never wear makeup because I thought it was all about vanity. I thought that putting attention on your looks was shallow, narcissistic, and self-absorbed. I have since learned that wearing makeup and caring about your looks is a way to have a deeper connection with yourself. Makeup is not about hiding behind a mask, it’s about loving the way you look and accentuating your features. Wearing makeup is a sign of self-respect and respect for others. A sign of whether or not you have an unhealthy relationship with vanity is if you’re comparing yourself to others and either deeming yourself superior or not as good. Strive to see others as equal to you. If you struggle with comparing yourself to others (either better or less than), I suggest reading Gabby Bernstein’s Judgement Detox.
Have you neglected your self-care regimen for so long that you don’t know where to start? I love hearing Jonathan on Queer Eye teach these burley bearded older gentleman about how to create a personal grooming routine. Start up a conversation with your friends about what products they use. Go get your hair done and talk to your stylist about their favorite products. Stop by Sephora and get some samples or try. Start a Birchbox subscription. Or send me a message, and I’d be happy to make some recommendations for you.
Treat your bathroom as a therapeutic refuge, a place for transformation. Create practices such as dry-brushing before you get in the shower, listening to a guided meditation while you’re in the bath, bathing with quartz crystals (or other stones that can withstand water), red-light therapy after your shower, or other healing practices, to enhance your health.
Decorate in ways that support your mental health and positive growth. Have visual cues that help keep your vibration up. I like to keep things pretty simple with a white shower curtain, white towels, and light grey walls, but I have a very colorful print of lots of different types of feathers which makes me smile every time I look at it.
Utilize the multi-sensory experience of the bathroom to get present with yourself so that you can enhance your intuitive gifts and manifesting powers. Smell how good the soap smells. Feel how good the soap, warm water, or moisturizer feels on your body. Listen to the sound of the water, the sound of your toothbrush, or the sound of exfoliation as you shed away the past. Taste how fresh your mouth tastes after your brush your teeth. Look at all of the details around you. See the steam. Look at yourself and look at your reflection.