This blog post is part of “Basic Gifts of Being,” a series dedicated to our daily needs as humans that we never think twice about. Sarah pinpoints simple tasks that can promote a positive and healthy lifestyle as well as improve one’s overall quality of life.
Fashion psychologist, Shakaila Forbes-Bell, states “it is important to get dressed in the morning, to get the most out of your day.” Even if you are not leaving your house for the day, how we dress is how we express and present ourselves to the world. I get dressed right when I wake up everyday, even if it is just into workout clothes. I put on some tunes and pick an outfit that will motivate me to be productive. In this story, I mention the benefits that getting dressed will have on your mental health.
How we feel on the outside has a big affect on how we feel on the inside. By getting dressed confidence is built and it is an easy win at the beginning of your day. Who wouldn’t want that! Don’t make getting dressed a chore! You can have fun with it. Put on a little fashion show and think about what you want and what you need to tackle during the day. What outfit will lead you to success?
Getting dressed is an established pattern for many people. Patterns help people compartmentalize their lives. It is totally normal and okay to have a cozy, lazy day in your pajamas. But don’t make this a habit! Staying in your pajamas all day could lead to a continual state of inactivity which will eventually negatively affect your mental health.
Who would have thought that there was a term to describe the influence that clothes have on our psychological processes? Well there is! It’s known as Enclothed Cognition. This is when one embodies the meaning they associate with their clothes. For example, if you put on your running shoes you will be more motivated to workout. It is important to dress for the part, whatever that may be.
Symbolic meaning + physical experience of wearing the clothes = enclothed cognition
How do you get ready in the morning? Do you just change your clothes or do you also put on makeup, make your bed, brush your teeth? “Getting ready” if you think about it for what it is, means to get ready for whatever the day may bring you, whatever that means to you. You will be prepared for the planned and unplanned events of the day.
Next time it’s raining outside and you are watching a movie marathon in your pj’s, think about how your energy level may have differed from when you got dressed. It should have been better when you got dressed, so try to continue that so you can stay energized rather than not! Getting dressed allows people to live in the ebb and flow rather than have all the days bleed together.
Anything that is natural is something that aligns with the makeup of something. By getting dressed, a natural sense of motivation will emerge. It is so simple and easy to gain that burst of motivation in the morning, why wouldn’t anyone want that!
Pajamas= relaxation + calm, what we wear to go to bed, to wind down
Activewear, Business wear etc= productive +motivation, what we wear throughout our day
If you do not already have a structure to your day or feel like it may be muddled, by simply getting dressed in the morning your mental health will gain natural benefits!
References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103112000200
humanillustration.com 