How to practice mindfulness through style and fashion.
I have always thought about style as a universal language and form of communication. Truth is, even if you choose not to wear clothes, to walk around naked, to dress modestly, or to wear skimpy clothes, you are still making a style choice. It may not seem obvious to you but to the world, you made a choice and that choice is yours. Whether you like it or not you wake up every single day and you dress up, whether to choose to pay attention to this or not is not the point. The point is that you do make a choice and my question is, if you are going to dress up every day, why not have fun with it? Why not make it a conscious decision as opposed to a mindless one. Yes, dressing up can be included in your mindfulness journey. A carefully thought out outfit can convey, evoke, contrast, create the right emotions, feelings, and mood for the day or for the moment.
Exercise: Close your eyes
Picture yourself standing in front of your mirror that morning, you just took a shower, opened your closet door and you stop for a moment and think how am I feeling right now? Is it good, do I want to maintain this feeling, do I want to mirror it, do I want to enhance it? If yes then reach out to those items that have or give you those feelings. Think of those items as things that have a sound, because your clothes have a vibration, energy attached to each of them. Again, how do I feel? Is it not so good, then how can I create a new reality using my outfit of the day.
In these short but reflective moments, you give yourself power over your feelings. You give yourself the liberty to nurture, create and recreate your own thoughts and feelings. You give yourself the power to be stronger than your feelings, to create a new reality for yourself. What better way to be mindful, what better way to stand in your own authority.
As I look at myself in the mirror, I see a lady who has come a long way on her confidence journey. I must say my style has always played a significant role in how I see myself. It has been an integral part of my life. I did not grow up in a wealthy home so I never wore fancy clothes or anything, but for as long as I can remember, my mother always stressed the importance of looking neat and presentable. These principles have grown with me all these years even till today, where I hand these secrets and principles down.
When I first started talking about style and personality, I said a lot of things from experience and observation. I noticed how my mood, productivity, overall life, and mindset were always better when I dressed up. As time when on, I began to journal my thoughts on the topic and as the years have gone by, I have researched and discovered so much more. It is always such a beautiful feeling when someone else conveys the same ideas that I have even without meeting them. It is great to know that someone out there gets it and is doing their best to spread the word. The goal is to make sure that as many lives are changed with this significant piece of information. Recently I started reading Dress your best life by Dawnn Karen, chapter 1 only was enough to make me know that I am not wasting my time. It truly and fully explained what I practice but most importantly what I preach
Here is a summary of chapter 1 with a few comments
Extracts from chapter 1
1. Your clothes are talking: Whether you’re aware of it or not, whether you wish it were so or not, they are the costumes you choose to act out the story of your life.
“ your clothes are the costumes you choose to act out the story of your life.” They are the choices we make for ourselves, so if you are going to dress up everyday, make sure your clothes really are truly serving you well”
