Shower Meditation: Wash Away Your Stress and Anxiety

A shower meditation is an easy and convenient way to inject a little self-care into your daily routine.

Since showering is already a part of most people’s daily habits, it’s the perfect opportunity to step back and improve your mental health. It’s also a great place for everyday reflection since we are already away from our phones and any other distractions.

You only need 5-10 minutes total. It requires the same amount of time you need to take a regular shower, the only difference is you’re adding an extra mental layer to the routine.

Remind yourself to do it by adding a small sticky note in your bathroom. Showers can be so second-nature to us that it’s easy to forget to do it, but with practice it can become just as automatic as any other part of your morning routine.

Here are step-by-step instructions.

Shower Meditation: A Step-by-Step Guide

• Choose a comfortable temperature. Start your shower as you normally would. Find a comfortable temperature that suits you best.
• Focus on your breathing. Once you’ve entered, begin the exercise with 10 deep breaths. Pay attention to the motions of your breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Feel your body and mind begin to relax.
• Be mindful of your senses. Now take a moment to cycle through your 5 senses. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you smell/taste (if anything)? Focus on the sounds of the water flowing and the sensations of the water hitting your body and skin (a great grounding technique to get your mind focused on the present).
• Visualize your stress and anxiety washing away. As you clean yourself, imagine that you are washing away all the stress and anxiety in your body. Picture any stress and negativity as a black slime washing off your body and visualize it swirling down the drain.
• Add a mantra or affirmation. Consider adding a small mantra to your shower meditation as you wash yourself. Something simple like “I am washing away all stress and anxiety,” or “My body and mind are being cleansed,” can make the exercise more effective. You can check out other affirmations here that may be helpful – experiment and find what works best for you.
• Imagine a relaxing aura surrounding you. As you finish washing yourself, picture a relaxing energy surrounding you. What is the color of relaxation for you? Picture an aura with that color. Imagine yourself breathing it in as it fills you up and puts you in a comfortable and rejuvenated state. As you dry yourself and get dressed, continue to imagine this relaxing aura following you.

It’s a super easy exercise if you remember to do it – and it takes no extra time or effort.

With practice, the association between “washing yourself” and “washing away stress” will become stronger and stronger.

Water in general can be a powerful symbol for healing and cleansing, which is why it’s often used in religious practices (such as baptism) and other spiritual traditions.

Interestingly, some research suggests that even the simple act of washing yourself (without the visualization above) is enough to ease people’s troubles and anxieties.

According to one of the researchers:

“Cleansing is about the removal of residues. By washing the hands, taking a shower, or even thinking of doing so, people can rid themselves of a sense of immorality, lucky or unlucky feelings, or doubt about a decision. The bodily experience of removing physical residues can provide the basis of removing more abstract mental residues.”

In general, daily activities and chores can be a great way to integrate small mental habits. Showering, eating, and cleaning are all opportunities to practice everyday mindfulness.

There are other versions of the shower meditation that I’ve seen people practice as well. For example, someone on social media shared their experience of imagining themselves as a flower or tree being nourished:

“I like to visualize the water as rain and that I’m a flower or tree. I visualize roots growing from my feet and a trunk growing strong throughout my lower limbs. My arms are like strong branches and then my heart and head is where flowers and foliage bloom. I’ll also imagine the warmth of the shower as sunlight warming me and nourishing me. It can be extremely grounding and is one of my favorite feelings of comfort and joy. Swaying in the wind with the rain bouncing off my branches.”

I’m a big believer in using your imagination to change your mental state, so there’s no right or wrong way to practice this meditation. The key is always to find out what works for you.

Try doing a shower meditation every day this week and see how you feel!

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