Closet Content Analysis:
Dressing for your Emotional Health
I have always been a proponent of dressing
appropriately and this time of self-isolation to avoid COVID19 is no different.
Knowing you are not going out at all during
the day may lead you to do the easiest and in relation to clothing, that means
putting on your sweats and staying in them all day. “Why not?” you rationalize,
“you have no one to impress.”
The consequence of that is lethargy and
laziness. Now you don’t shower, you stay in your pyjamas until noon or don’t
change at all and then crawl into bed. One day out of the week may be good for
your mental health – a day of rest. Do that for a few days in a row and you may
end up disgusted with yourself.
Hopefully you have not resorted to this
kind of behaviour and are keeping positive and healthy throughout this
inconvenient, albeit necessary time to stay at home.
NECESSARY
Purely from a mental and emotional health
perspective, there may be some benefit for changing clothing relative to
activity. Try it, you might feel a little boost in your disposition.
1.
Think about your day as if you
were leaving the house to go to work.
2.
Follow your morning routine –
shower, hair, shave or make-up.
3.
Dress for your day – let’s call
them your “day clothes”. Are you working at home? Obviously you can be more
casual but still, choose an outfit, one that if you do see someone during the
day, you would not be embarrassed to greet them (remembering social distance). For me, a pair of cropped
pants, a t-shirt and my flip-flops – this is extreme casualness for me and I
would never go to work this way but it is better than sweats.
4.
Change your “day clothes”
everyday. You probably don’t wear the same thing to work each day, so change up
your wardrobe staying at home.
5.
Maintain some form of exercise
and change into your workout clothing, then change back into your “day
clothes”.
6.
Need to do some cleaning or de-cluttering
(future blog post on this)? Change into your cleaning clothing. You don’t want
to splash bleach on your favourite blue jeans or shirt or get all dusty
unpacking forgotten boxes from your last move.
7.
Now for something completely
different: (borrowed from Victorian times) – change for dinner. “What’s that?”
you ask. Doing it everyday might be a bit much but occasionally, dress-up for your evening meal, even if it is just adding a favourite necklace or
bracelet. Shut the TV, turn off your phone, put on your favourite music and eat
your dinner – even if you are alone. Enjoy every morsel in the now and have
that peace found in mindfulness.
Happy coping and know that you are doing
your part for the slowdown of this virus through your self-imposed quarantine
and positive attitude.
Leave a comment letting us know if this is
making a little difference in your day.
😃Spring 2021 Update: Does dis-order in your life overwhelm you? Changing Spaces by Design has recently published a guided journal with inspiring affirmations, suggested daily strategies to create clutter-free spaces, time management recommendations, and charts to record your project. Shirley B says, "I embarked on the process and am pleased to say that it really does work. I put my stuff in order, found stuff I had forgotten I owned, and got rid of stuff I no longer need (that is somebody else’s stuff now). The result – I know what I have, and where to find it. Amazing!"
This was a particularly interesting post, as it speaks not only to this Covid-19 situation, but to the entire time of retirement, layoff, holiday, etc. It is so easy to fall into a less than stellar routine when you find yourself at home for an extended period of time after having lived out and about, socializing and interacting with others day after day. And it is a dangerous trap. Toning down your work apparel at home makes sense, but retreating to sweats and a baggy t-shirt day after day is harmful to the psyche for sure. I like to follow most of my previous morning work life routines to set myself up for a good day...even down to a bit of makeup. You never know when a Jehova's Witness may come to the door!! I like the notion of get up, dress up, show up. It sets your positive enregy up to making the day a good one! At any rate, thanks for getting back to this writing. Always enjoyable to read your thoughts. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to be back. For the past year I believed I didn't have the time to do this and so my mind accommodated and influenced my actions. The positive is the memoir is just a chapter or two short of being finished - perhaps it is already finished. I'm going to set it aside for awhile before I do a complete re-read.
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