In such a short time, the world has been silenced by the emergence of this microscopic but dangerous savage; the corona-virus. It looks like; we are in a war with an invincible enemy. In this battle, the combatant on the side of humanity is our health care providers; the doctors, nurses, cleaners, and all vital service providers; the grocers, scientists, security personnel, firefighters, and all who have contributed towards the preservation of our lives.
Stress levels in people, I believe, have never been this high, millions of jobs across the globe lost; closure of schools, restaurants, gyms, zoos, museums, and most public places; not to speak of cancellation of upcoming activities like the 2020 Olympic Games, basketball season championship and musical concerts. Relaxing in these times can be hard, and we can lose sight of the little things in our lives that relax us, like spending quality time with family and bathing.
From womb-to-tomb, bathing will always be part of our lives. Routine Bathing, a centuries-old technique in cleansing the body, transcends most cultural, religious, and physical barriers. But, have you ever wondered, how routine bathing could de-stress and calm your nerves?
Let me take you on a journey;
Close your eyes, imagine you being in the most beautiful bathroom of all times; sweet fragrance, taps running, water splashing on beautiful marbles, and soft music playing. Let go of yourself; strip yourself of any unsettling emotions. Take a step, make this bath space yours. Stand or sit under the shower; let the water drip down your face and body. Take intermittent deep breaths with your mouth opened and think of oxygen as an alien entering your mouth and moving into your lungs, staying in for a while, nourishing your body, improving your heart function, and being thrust out. Relax, don’t rush into it. Let’s think of your body as being divided into four parts, your head region, arms, your mid-part, and your legs.
Soak your sponge with water and your favorite brand of soap. Start from your head area. Wet your hair, if you don’t mind, gently rub your soaked sponge on your hair. Clean it thoroughly. Turn on the tap, rinse your face and start again, this time at your mid-section, paying attention to areas that are hidden and with lots of hair. When done, do the same for the arms, concentrating on the armpit area. Go on; clean the leg region, concentrating on the groin area. Let the tap run; carefully use your hands to rinse your body till there is no trace of soap.
You are the captain of your ship, do what your resources can permit. You can pamper yourself by using 'adwe' (palm kernel), candles, essential oils, rose petals, or wine, the list goes on and on. You are in charge; you decide what happens, let the water flow right from your head to the tip of your toe.
Anybody can practice this technique; children, young adults, adults, and the elderly. For babies, parents can modify the process a bit since babies are delicate and need to be handled with care. It is worth noting that bathing does not harm infants, but rather has
a lot of psychological benefits to them and their parents. Also, married couples can practice bathing together to strengthen their bond.
Routine bathing offers a lot of benefits as expressed in 'cuul benefits of bathing' by Eab-Aggrey. Besides, a study by Jury et al. (2011) on 'effectiveness of routine patient bathing to decrease the burden of spores on the skin of patients with Clostridium difficile infection'; clearly shows that patients who were encouraged to shower had a reduction in the burden of Clostridium difficile, a microbe responsible for causing illness in humans. Their study confirms the fact established that bathing protects the body against disease-causing organisms.
De-stressing can be difficult when one is confined to the walls of their homes, especially in these hard times. I wouldn't want you to take for granted life's never-ending de-stressing technique like bathing, which helps us not only to prevent diseases but also relaxes and protect our mental well-being.