While I didn’t start this blog as previously mentioned for the purpose of converting anyone to the nudist/naturist lifestyle, perhaps you have been following this blog and some of what I’ve said seems to resonate with you. Perhaps you have found yourself interested in exploring nudism but don’t quite know how to start.If you had the same type of conservative upbringing that I did, you first inclination is not to head for the nearest nude beach or resort. My well meaning parents imbued me with a good bit of shame about nudity and as a consequence for years I struggled with body issues. When I first came to look at nudism and began to see that this was something I wanted to experience, I needed a very low key and non-threatening introduction to it. The same is likely true of many others.
Getting started is actually very simple, just take your clothes off and get naked right there in the privacy and safe environment of your own home. That is exactly how I started. If you are anything like me, the first thing you do when you arrive home is to remove your shoes. Why? Because it just feels more comfortable. Getting naked just takes that a step further and believe me it does feel a lot more comfortable. I have reached the point where I never wear clothes at home and am always nude unless I’m answering the door or entertaining non-nudist friends. I feel so comfortable with it now in fact that on more than one occasion I have just caught myself at the last second before walking out on my patio completely naked. That would not be a good thing since I live in an apartment complex where anyone who happened to look would have seen me. This is just an illustration of how comfortable I have grown with being nude and now I actually don’t really even think about it or notice that I’m not wearing clothes.
Another way to get comfortable with living clothes free at home is to spend time doing routine household chores and activities in the nude: house cleaning, laundry, cooking, eating, etc. I use to hate cleaning my apartment and candidly, I still don’t actually enjoy it but it is one of those things that must be done. Now that I do it in the nude, it doesn’t seem nearly as much a chore because I’ve combined something not inherently pleasurable with something very pleasurable, spending time nude. Everything I do at home, I do while naked and this I think is an excellent way to gain comfort with your own nudity. At first anytime I walked past a mirror, I’d notice my nakedness but now I don’t give it a thought.
Once you get comfortable being naked inside your home, if you happen to have a backyard with a privacy fence, I’d encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to get comfortable with being nude outdoors. You could sunbathe, just sit out on your patio nude reading a good book or if you have a pool, try some skinny dipping. I think you will find the feel of the warm sun and breeze on your bare skin to be most delightful. I think you will be surprised how quickly you will become comfortable living in just your own skin.
At some point after getting comfortable spending time naked at home, many people will then become interested in trying social nudity and spending time naked around others. The others might be family, close friends, people you live with, or perhaps total strangers (which is often easier) by way of a visit to a nude beach or nudist resort. If you do live with others, be sure to respect their feelings. It’s better to discuss things with them beforehand as they may find it a little odd if you just start going naked around the house. Once they find out you like to be naked and get accustomed to it, they may not have any problem with it even if they don't choose to go along. Once you are comfortable with being nude at home and on your own property and if you do decide to try social nudity among strangers, in a later article I will discuss how you go about finding a nudist venue and what to expect on your first visit.
Some people will learn to enjoy spending time at home nude but that may be where their interest in nudism ends and being a “home nudist” may fulfill all the needs they have as a nudist. If that is the case, then there is certainly nothing wrong with it. Just as nudism isn’t for everyone, social nudism also isn’t. There is no hierarchy among nudists. If you enjoy being a home nudist, you are every bit as much a nudist as those of us who enjoy social nudism and are comfortable spending time nude while socializing with other like minded people.
