How To Tell If Your Clothes Are Bringing You Down

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“Life is too short to navigate aimlessly – how many times have you asked at the end of the day, week, month, or year WHERE HAS TIME GONE?   When your internal state is flat lining, your external appearance often follows.”  – Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, You Are What Your Wear
 

I know this statement to be true.  In my forties, I had a mom-uniform and it reflected the sadness I wore on the inside. The clothes alone were dreadful, even without me in them.

Are you bored with your wardrobe?  It might be time to shake things up a bit, just to put a spring in your step.  Many women do not want to admit their appearance affects their attitudes, but like it or not, it does.  As Dr. Baumgartner writes, “a bland wardrobe is likely to reflect an internal feeling of blah.”

She asks twenty questions in her book, YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR, to determine if we need a wardrobe refreshing.  Here is just a sampling:

1. Is shopping a task rather than a creative endeavor?
2. Do you wear the same clothes every day?
3. Does most of your wardrobe consist of multiples of the same items?
4. Do you find dressing in the morning uninspiring?
5. Do you feel you have little that is exciting to look forward to?
6. Would you like to make a change, but don’t have the energy?

She reminds us that anything from perfectionism to depression can suffocate your style.  “The effect is cyclical: your wardrobe is blah, you look in the mirror and feel awful, you lose motivation to pretty yourself, and the wardrobe becomes even worse. Or you fall into the trap of thinking that if you can’t put together a Vogue-worthy outfit, why bother (or risk) at all?”

She discusses how our brains register repeated behaviors, and over time the brain signal no longer requires much effort.  If we take out excitement and motivation, they will eventually completely disappear and there we are, in a rut.

As I said, I found myself there once.  I wore the same mom-denim, a man’s over- sized polo shirt, pulled back ponytail and tennis shoes every day.  It took a wakeup call to get me out of that rut, and I am so glad I climbed out.  Life is short–and it can be fun every day.  I am here to tell you, attention to your appearance will add a spring to your step, just as she writes.

Join us next week in the Joy Boutique to begin learning Dr. Baumgartner’s suggestions of how to enjoy your closet again!  I am just skimming her thoughts, so you might want to purchase this book.

Anyone want to confess to clothing boredom?  Please join our conversation …then have a wonderful week!