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Dressing Up - the benefits for mental health and these tough times

****disclaimer****
I never got round to publishing this archived post on my blog, Jumper Dweller, aka where you find yourself now. It seems now quite pertinent in light of current and recent events. I’m sending love and positivity to whoever and wherever you are, all of you! So anyway, here’s a post from long ago, dragged from the archive. Enjoy!
****disclaimer over****




Good day, folks! It's been a while since I last blogged, but today I felt inspired when it came to today's topic: self-soothing using fashion/personal style and how that can help with recovery. Self-soothe is a DBT technique, which is designed to help manage distress and reduce maladaptive behaviours. There are many ways to practise self-soothe - you might use nice smelling hand or body cream or read positive messages given to you by friends to trigger positive emotions. Today I wanted to propose that personal style and 'dressing up' in particular can act as a self-soothe activity. Dressing up is not just for kids! It's cathartic, I promise!

'Dressing Up' as a distraction

Dressing up is something that we tend to move on from as adults. We have our clothes sat patiently in the wardrobe, gathering dust and fending off moths, while we wear the same personal uniform every day. Wouldn't it be fun to just pretend for one second that maturity doesn't mean boring (clothes-wise!)? We could pretend we're heading out on the town and stick on our glad-rags and do our makeup all fancy. Or perhaps you could experiment with outfits you wouldn't have the confidence to wear out and about (at the moment, never say never!). Or dressing up for photos is a great option - it's something for the feed, eh?

Anyway, all these ideas aside, dressing up is a hobby in itself and a great distraction. Clothes have the power to take us away from our current situation and to make us feel like we could be someone, or somewhere, else for a while. Clothes are our message to the world and also to ourselves. It is most certainly an act of self-care to dress how we feel we look best. It's not about validation, it's about confidence in ourselves and dressing is a practice that tells us how we see ourselves beyond our internal lives. Plus, it's bloody fun (if in the process a bit messy, haha!).




Dressing Up as a tactile practice

Velvet, crinoline, brushed cotton, tulle: all very tactile and wonderful fabrics that can make dressing up a multi-sensory and soothing experience. It can be a mindful one too - we can actively feel the weight of the clothing on our bodies, the sensation of the shoes, the touch of our freshly-styled hair on our necks.

The act of self-soothing can be a tactile one and dressing is an example of this, so choose whatever takes your fancy touch-wise and enjoy the physical experience of dressing, which is one we so often disregard and forget. Our bodies need to remember what it's like to feel dressed, in a way that makes us feel safe and comforted. Get those fluffy dressing gowns out right after the velvet ballgowns (if you're extra or lucky enough to own one of those, I'm jealous!).



Dressing Up as a confidence booster

Clothes can make us feel completely different about ourselves, which is a Heaven-sent thing sometimes. In recent days, I've been struggling with my mood and there is nothing more soothing and confidence-inducing than a bloody good outfit. Today I wore pink cords, a Clio Peppiatt tee that I will treasure forever, birkenstocks (it's hot!) and wonderful pink earrings with matching lipstick. I felt fabulous and it impacted my day. I felt better somewhat. I felt more powerful and stronger than before. It's amazing what clothes can do and it is this that makes dressing and personal style a healing and self-soothing pursuit.

We think of fashion as superficial and of great innate style as rare and coveted, but really clothes are simply a tool to please ourselves. Whether you are a dedicated follower of fashion, a stylist from birth or someone who has to wear clothes because being naked in public is illegal, I recommend viewing clothing as something expressive and pleasurable just. for. you. It's paramount in this sheep-led world that we're true to ourselves when it comes to fashion.



Anyway, that’s my twopenneth! Have a fabulous day, find me @unusual.lupin on Instagram and much love.

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