Why bother looking good during lockdown?

Life, as we know it, has changed. Many of us have been in lockdown, or sheltering in place, for three or more weeks, and the lockdown will continue for many more weeks. Even after the initial period of severe social restraint has passed, social distancing will continue, and public meetings and gatherings will have restrictions placed on them for many months ahead.

It is a time of major world upheaval with events, situations and decisions largely out of our hands. What you wear each day may be the last thing on your mind.

Curved ball

When life throws us a curved ball like this it can be easy to retreat into ourselves. We can feel out of control of our lives. Because we feel out of control we disengage.

That’s completely understandable. We probably all have good days and bad days both in these unusual times and even before the time of the virus.

As a designer and blogger and amateur pop psychologist, I know the value of looking good each day.

So, why should you bother looking good during lockdown?

If you want to learn more about the value of looking good each day, and would like us to help you look after your wardrobe (and your wellbeing too), then why not join the Working Frocks list?

What difference will it make? To you? To your future? To the world?

In short, how will looking good, each day, at home, help your current situation? And does it really matter anyway?

We cannot change our current situation, but we can change our thoughts around it. And, if you are struggling with managing your thoughts then, small actions that lead to positive emotions in your brain are the way to start.

Be intentional about what you wear

Here are some reasons why being intentional about what you are wearing and looking good makes a difference in your life. They are reasons why thinking positive thoughts and flooding your body with positive emotion through what you are wearing will have a really positive effect on your life.

We have created an amazing download called, Look Amazing Every Day. It is available, free, to download, for a little while longer. Why not download it and use it alongside this blog post?

Back to our list:

Looking good each day is a way to manage our mental health and wellbeing. Before you go to bed, pick your outfit for the next day. In the morning, shower, dress, brush and style your hair. It really will make a difference.
Habit and routine help us too navigate our day effectively. During times of uncertainty, habit and routine give structure to our day. Habit and routine also bring comfort, because they are familiar.Get dressed each day for work into work outfits. You can maybe make a little alteration for comfort. But essentially get dressed to go to work. Wear jewellery and other accessories specifically for work.
Be specific about what you wear for your activities during the week. Wear exercise gear for exercising only. Wear work clothes for work. Choose clothes you love and want to wear when you are not working. Dressing in this intentional way will really help give the week a framework, and stop all days rolling into one and looking like each other.

Being well dressed throughout the day makes a difference to your emotional wellbeing. Think about the good old days, prior to March 2020. Remember when you worked at home and didn’t get dressed, or comb your hair and ate cereals and just worked? And then, do you remember that by the time it got to 4.30pm you started to feel awful? Well, it’s still the same. Getting well dressed prepares you for the day in a way that slobbing around in your work pyjamas never will. And never has that been more important than right now. We are all at home. We are also maybe juggling children, a spouse also trying to work at home, and our own work too. Give yourself the best advantage and go into battle each day, dressed for action!
Continuing to dress well and make an effort is a powerful reinforcer that you are still you. It might seem like the whole world has changed, and in a way it has. But you are still you. You are still turning up in the world each day. Take comfort in continuing to be you. It’s very reassuring. Continue to dress well each day, and invest in yourself emotionally. Getting dressed each day in clothes you love and which are familiar is a powerful self validation strategy.
Finally, making the best of ourselves is part of our internal make-up. Our desire to look after ourselves runs very deep.

The Transformational Power of self esteem

I once read a story about the US army who liberated one of the concentration camps in Poland. They took with them a quantity of red lipstick and gave them out to the women in the camp who they liberated. The soldiers reported being witness to women, who had been starved and suffered severe deprivation and trauma, applying the lipstick. At which point their demeanour changed entirely. From scared, emaciated, fearful creatures, they rose up and strutted around the camp laughing and joking with their friends.

This is an extreme story to tell, but it illustrates the point so well. We are wired to look after ourselves. Not vanity. Something much deeper to do with self acceptance, self expression and a sense of belonging in the world and wanting to turn up in it and enjoy it. There is no reason for us not to turn up each day, look after ourselves and make the best of ourselves.

At this time of the pandemic, I would argue that it’s even more important to make the best of ourselves. It’s ok to acknowledge that looking good is not a superficial desire. Even when the world is in lockdown and we are navigating uncharted waters.