By Utterly_Confused - 07/10/2015 22:07 - United States - Beaver

Today, my roommate confided in me that she hadn't been taking showers while at school because she was afraid of being in the shower when the fire alarm goes off. She goes home once every month, and will only shower there. I have to live with her for the rest of the year. FML
I agree, your life sucks 25 953
You deserved it 1 693
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Top comments

Nysha 17

Poor thing, I have similar anxiety about showering in bathrooms with no natural light, or that have extractor fans. When I lived in a flat with a bathroom like that for a year and a half I had to shower with the bathroom door open (luckily I lived alone :P). Maybe suggest she go to the campus health service and see if they have counsellors who could help her with that?

179 10
BI4ze 17

I understand that she's scared, but that's honestly disgusting.

73 6

Comments

anythingrandom 23

Set the classic bucket on the door trap in your room, that might help.

1 10
sNOOBie_fml 24

When I was at a boarding school for a year I was afraid of showering too. However my fear was that someone would break into the shower room and I would be seen naked. Luckily I went home every week and could shower then..

6 2
KaylaRocksss 7

Instead of being pissed about it be a friend to her and help her get over this fear. Maybe have your own fake fire drill with her and act out what she would need to do if she ever found herself in that situation. I know when I'm fearful or have anxiety over something someone else helping me through is a lot better then trying to deal with it on my own. Good luck, OP. I hope you can find a way to help her.

12 3
ohSNAPyall 26

My guess is that she's scared people will see her naked. (Because otherwise, being in the shower wouldn't slow you down anymore than, say, being on the toilet when the alarm goes off.) Here's my advice: Help her make sure she can get dressed in a hurry in case of emergency. Instead of just having a towel by the shower and being worried about whether she has time to struggle into jeans, t-shirt, etc., advise her to get a modest terry cloth robe. That way, even if the alarm goes off, she can get out of the building quickly without flashing anyone.

10 2
ohSNAPyall 26

And go shopping with her to get the robe, so that she actually does it and makes it a priority.

3 0
Misoranomegami 16

I'm going to chime in with everyone else who said get her a modest robe. Worst case scenario maybe she could shower in a swimsuit? It's not ideal but it's better than nothing.

4 1
ViviMage 38

Time to start the process of switching roommates.

1 4
npalm 3

That actually happened to me once when I was in college. Tell your roommate, it's really not that bad. Shower quick, and buy a nice bathrobe!

2 0
mattrd_fml 31

it would be hilarious if she actually got over her fear and took a shower and then the fire alarm went off.

2 7
cupcakesholic 10

Air freshener is going to be the best friend you ever had while around her. Don't make fun of her though for it. that's not nice.

0 5
smoothies14 32

I kind of understand where she's coming from. The fire alarm in my dorm goes off seemingly all the time because it is so easily triggered (hair straighteners, perfume, popcorn, rarely actual fire...). That being said, you could encourage her to shower at off times, like the middle of the afternoon when people are in class. You could also find an alternative place to shower, for instance most college campuses have a wellness center with showers. At the very least get her a large box of wet wipes.

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