The shower is probably the most problematic area for me and easiest time/place for me to fall. How do you soap yourselves  :-[? I'm embarrassed to write the question (it's obviously personal) but I'm wondering if anybody has my specific problem and if they have any tips for me.

As always, keep your mind and thoughts together. If you do, you'll be fine, even in the shower. I did read that one should not touch (or even look at) ones Bris. Regarding washing, you can rely on the waters that run down to provide an adequate washing.

Don't concern yourself about the cleanliness. It takes care of itself, as mentioned above. Just keep your mind and thoughts together.

One more thing. Being that it is prohibited to think on holy matters in the bathroom (though I have heard it is permitted in cases of saving a life, which this may qualify for; check with a Rov), what I often do is think on a great, beautiful garden. Something really, really nice. Really, really peaceful. This gets me through when thoughts go south (figuratively and literally, whew).

to the best of my memory - please correct me if i am wrong - it is permissible to think Torah thoughts even in an unclean place in order to save oneself from hirhurim ra'im (prohibited thoughts). i don't remember the source at the moment and i don't have seforim with me here but i think it was one of the meforshim on the shulchan aruch (maybe Magen Avrohom?)

hi - welcome.

use more cold water - you'll be less likely to stay in the shower longer

This is a very real challange. When i first started counting days,i was clean from p* ,the images were still fresh in my mind. For relaxation i took a nice long warm bath which ended up in hirhurim and falling w/ m* .Baruch Hashem,i have moved on from there. Guess i use the shower instead of having a  bath. Soaping up the area of the "ayever" with out actually touching it is usually not such a big deal. Guess showering quickly or in a public place like a mikva should help (except for our SSA friends)

teshuvahilaah wrote on 16 Jun 2010 01:25:

That is a really cool idea!!!
BTW,I once met someone from program who said a short tefiloh like "Hashem please save me from the yetzer haroh" before going in to take a shower."
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