We can all admit that, at some point, we surrendered to the side effects that quarantine brought upon us, especially last semester. At first, staying in and taking our classes online seemed like a great opportunity to be productive, but that was not the reality for most of us. And that’s okay.
Suddenly, we found ourselves with a lot of extra time on our hands. In the meantime, the media began insanely campaigning productivity with slogans like “stay active” and “take advantage of the situation” when, in reality, we’re experiencing a tremendous phenomenon. Life as we knew it changed overnight, and we were exposed to daily death polls and rapid increases in COVID-19 cases with frequent spikes. To think that everything was (or is) normal jeopardizes our emotional and mental stability.
Now, how did I cope with it all? The answer may seem dumb, but it was through fashion. During a global state of emergency, feeling small and powerless is inevitable. Therefore, I took action and decided to not be so hard on myself. After giving myself a long speech validating my emotions, I will share the same with you, in case you haven’t been told. Any feeling and emotion you experience is downright valid. I allowed myself to feel, and here’s where clothes come in.
During the semester, every time I felt defeated, I let myself rest. To do so, I would wear my comfiest and favorite pajamas, and, for distraction, I would work on my hair, to keep it well groomed. On the other hand, if I felt like taking over the world, I would pull out my fave pair of jeans and put together a practical yet fierce outfit to stay in my room and tackle school work.
The secret was to use my clothes to trick my brain to either boost my spirit, or to surrender and rest. This is how I succeeded in sorting out my feelings to stay vigilant on how I was doing and what I was feeling.
I believe that what you wear can have a significant impact on your emotional state. You can even take it beyond clothes, and spice things up with makeup, accessories, hairdos, or whatever may spark happiness and comfort for you― always keeping in mind to never push yourself past what you can handle. It’s all a process of self-discovery and self-growth.
Things are getting bumpy around the world, but we’re all on the same boat. We’re all learning how to navigate these new seas, without a map or a compass. We have no control over how these events will develop at the end of it all, but at least there’s some things we can still have power over. Clothes may be just one small metaphor to tell ourselves that we still have control over a part of our lives, even if we don’t understand what the future may hold. We can still decide how we will confront life’s circumstances. Allow yourself to go with your own flow, and not some sort of romanticized or idealized concept of how you should feel. Take care, babes.