Self-Care
One common sacrifice among women is self-care and well-being. For most women, the desire for self-care triggers feelings of guilt. We’ve been conditioned to subconsciously think that we are neglecting others when we take time and energy to care for ourselves. So what is self-care? Self-care in essence is consciously taking time to pay attention to yourself, in a way that ensures that you are being cared for by you.
The concept behind maintaining a conscious closet is realizing if it’s important to live our truth, we should also be wearing it; coupled with staying conscious of the changes that many milestones bring to prevent leaving ourselves behind. Moving throughout our day-to-day lives and juggling various priorities leaves little to no room for anything else. So, being fashionable is the last thing we think about but it seems to always be the 1st thing to go. Self-care becomes less care.
It seems like balance doesn’t exist; just an ongoing battle of how to focus on family, career, and finances. So, it’s no surprise when our closet begins to resemble a garage, storing a lot of past, random pieces, and little to no future clothes. Yet, somehow we still believe that translates into a great space to begin our day. It’s pure psychology. I believe that the way we treat our closet can reflect the way we treat ourselves (this is where I clear my throat) since every morning starts and ends in some form of a closet. Therefore, the process to organize our closet can serve as the foundation.
Parts Of Your Closet
I can recall a time in my life when I shopped every single weekend and made a purchase at almost every store. My closet was overflowing with some of this and some of that. Shopping has always been my amusement park.
But like most of us, life moved on and things began to change. Things that seemed important enough for me to purchase began to fade. While other parts of my closet began to expand, I had subconsciously broken my closet into 2 sides. One side housed my everyday fashionable clothes while the other half of my closet stored my income-generating career clothes. Additionally, parts of my closet could be described as a rebellious ones; that came after a divorce and an increase in income.
Staring Into My Closet Full of Past
Throughout the years as a divorced, career-focused mom of 3, habits set in and a new set of priorities seemed to take over every month. I began to spend less time on myself which is just one of the many milestones that began to play a part in shifting my fashion perspective. I remember the day I recognized I was unconsciously getting dressed…………
It wasn’t that long ago that I was standing in my closet rambling through my drawers looking for that one shirt I loved; you know the one that hugs you just right?! Once I found it, I realized It didn’t fit the same nor did it have that magic. Why? I knew everything in my closet was no accident. Every piece of clothing I owned was purchased deliberately, intentionally, and with purpose. So, how could these same clothes I’ve loved for so long become so unfamiliar? Where was the breakdown coming from? My closet felt completely claustrophobic.
Milestones Matter
In the same fashion as so many women, I was instinctively getting dressed each morning with no regard for how many years had passed or no thought that I wasn’t the same woman from years before. Milestones are the reasons we make major changes in our lives. So, why can’t we see the milestones in our closets? In view of that, some of us even begin to lessen the time we spend on our appearance once we become mothers, wives, and some when we peak the corporate ladder.
Instead, we choose to invest in what we visually see as beneficial to the household. Because of this, purchasing clothes becomes more like work and a time-consuming selfish act. We even view clothes as debt vs tools that could help generate income; forgetting their wardrobe is essential.
It’s not about vanity or spending lots of cash on expensive items. It’s about feeling prepared, confident, and ready to take on what the world has to give. Getting dressed also comes with the expectation of acting the part. This is the same reason we’ve heard people say “dress for success.” It’s what we choose to wear to battle, it gives off signals letting others know we’re prepared for anything.
Self-Inventory = Self-Care
All things considered, there is one unarguable fact; being selective with the clothes we buy and decluttering what’s already in our closets will simplify the morning routine and add clarity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with leveling up and reflecting on the woman you are today. Keeping a conscious closet forces us to take a self-inventory of our lifestyle changes and make the necessary adjustments as we go. This is a part of self-care. Besides who wants to wear clothes that depict the woman you once were instead of the woman you’ve become?
For me, reaching a certain level of maturity made me forthright in my inability to compromise; and guess what? That’s a fortunate milestone and my closet should reflect my same “attitude.”
