Yesterday was the last day of my Summer holiday. I had initially thought I might have an easy, lay about day, but when I woke up I felt more energised than that and so decided to do something I had been putting off for ages. I cleaned out my wardrobe. There was a frenzy of trying on, chucking, piling in heaps, throwing in bags and totally tossing out. Why I had put it off for so long – I don’t know. I knew I had clothes hanging in there that I hadn’t worn in way too long and things that needed mending, dry cleaning and a whole lot of other tender, loving care. As I placed clothes in bags to either go to a second hand shop or for me to sell on ebay, I began to feel a weight lifting from my shoulders. The cleaner and more organised my closet got – the better I felt. Looking into it this morning realising that everything in there actually fitted me and I felt good in, was a great way to start my working year.
I’ve been thinking about it a great deal since and wondering why such a simple cleaning act made me feel so good. I’m certain it has something to do with not only being able to look at something that is neater and more organised, but also that throwing out clothes that don’t fit or I didn’t feel fabulous in, was a release and a great thing for me to do for my self esteem and body image. I had clothes in there that had not fit me for a very long time but I was still holding on to them. Why? It certainly wasn’t because I had intentions to diet myself into them, but many of them were so lovely I think I felt they were too good to throw away. But…they no longer served me, so no matter how lovely they were, or indeed, how much they cost, they were useless to me.
When was the last time you cleaned out your wardrobe Beautiful You?
If you need some motivation to do so, I hope my experience inspires you and that you think about these further following reasons as to why it’s a great idea…
I have seen some diet spruikers say it is a good idea to have clothes in your closet or even buy clothes that are too small for you so they will act as motivation for you to lose weight and fit into them. I just don’t buy it and am certain that many people never actually reach the point where they permanently fit into those clothes meaning a useless purchase. Can you relate?
Pulling out clothes from your closet regularly, or even intermittantly, that don’t fit is not good for your self esteem and body image. When this happens far too many people leap to thinking that something is wrong with their body that then must be fixed, when in fact it is a simple equation of a piece of clothing no longer fitting, if indeed it ever did.
Wearing clothes that fit you well and you feel great in (no matter your size or shape!) is a surefire way to boost your body confidence. We all know the feeling of how wonderful it is to sashay out the door in something we feel awesome in and having a wardrobe filled with only clothes that make us feel that way is a great way to ensure that happens as often as possible.
Everyone needs a special dress or great work outfit but don’t forget that having well fitting exercise and casual clothes is also a great thing. I dag around my house in trackies and tee’s just as much as anyone, but having them at least fit well and not have holes in them (goodbye yoga pants from 1997!) is not going to take away the comfortability factor.
Think of all the wonderful souls out there that may inherit your clothes if you decide to give them to charity or the money they will raise to support those in need. It’s also ok to think about selling your clothes which of course you could then spend on new ones – that fit.
So Beautiful You…feeling inspired? Have you ever had a wardrobe clean out that you really felt was a great thing to do? Still holding on to clothes that no longer fit? Love to hear from you!