Living / 2 May, 2017 / My Baba
We’re nearly a quarter of the way through 2017 which means many of us have given up on the ‘New Year, new me’ mantra. Whether you challenged yourself to diet, quit unhealthy habits or save money, as the year creeps on it becomes more and more difficult to stick to ‘New Year goals’ – and you’re not alone!
According to Susan Weinschenk (a behavioural scientist) our resolutions often fail because we’re trying to change habits of a lifetime. In an article for Psychology Today, Weinschenk commented that “everyone has stories about themselves that drive their behaviour. You have an idea of who you are and what’s important to you. Essentially you have a ‘story’ operating about yourself at all times. These self-stories have a powerful influence on decisions and actions”.
This means that when we try to change habits without first changing our self-story, we’re doomed to fail because your new resolution might not match the ‘old’ you. She also recommends that instead of setting huge milestones, try and aim for smaller goals to make achieving them that much easier.
If your 2017 goal was to be healthier and undergo a detox of sorts, how did it go? If you managed to tackle losing baby weight or cutting out a certain food (goodbye, beloved chocolate!) we salute you. These are all fantastic achievements!
Therefore to keep you motivated on your journey of self-improvement, or inspire those of you who would like to achieve at least one small milestone this year, here’s some advice on how (and why) you should detox your wardrobe!
Detoxing doesn’t just mean juice cleanses!
Ridding your body of toxins is a great way to make yourself feel energised and healthy, but this needn’t stop at what you eat. Cleansing your personal space of items you no longer have any use for is also incredibly important for your mental health, inspiring ‘new beginnings’ and a fresh start.
One area that we tend to keep things we no longer need is our wardrobe. Be honest, you’ve probably got items of clothing tucked away that no longer fit but you can’t bear to part with them. They may be too small after gaining some weight or too big after losing a few pounds – regardless, you’re not likely to wear them any time soon because your body has changed. And that’s okay!
A study carried out by fashion theorists Elizabeth Bye and Ellen McKinney showed that 85% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that no longer fit. Most interestingly, we tend to keep smaller sized clothes in the hope that we might fit back into them some day as a sort of ‘thinspiration’. But what if we told you that the likelihood of slimming down just to fit into an old piece of clothing is more often than not, entirely unlikely?
Throwing that garment into the bin may seem like admitting defeat but it may be the healthy boost you need to live in the here and now, helping you to tackle today’s reasons for losing weight. We all like to look to the past believing that the ‘old me’ was a better version, however it’s easy to look back on old times with rose-tinted spectacles!
Be brave and banish!
If you’re ready to tackle your wardrobe, now is a great time to do it. As we’re heading into Spring and Summer months, organising clothes is a great way to save space and work out what you need to complete outfits for the months ahead.
Before you get onto the physical process of decluttering your wardrobe (that’s actually the easy bit), you need to get your head around why you’re doing it and what you want to achieve.
Why your wardrobe might be holding you back…
Pile 1: LOVE this, wear it all the time
Pile 2: Don’t wear it very often but it has its uses for special events/occasions
Pile 3: I never wear this but it’s sentimental
Pile 4: I never wear this because it’s out of fashion/doesn’t fit/doesn’t suit me anymore, etc.
Once you’ve done this, you can tackle piles 1 and 2 first. Put regularly worn items back in your wardrobe and find a place to store things that don’t get worn often or don’t reflect the current season (put your winter clothes in a suitcase under the bed, for example). This will free up space for items you wear more regularly.
When it comes to pile 3, think about your reasons for keeping the garment. Is it something you’re keeping because it reminds you of fond memories or you want to save it for your daughter? Whilst this is a nice idea, bear in mind that fashion changes and it may not be something your daughter would want to wear in future! Try to keep sentimental items to a minimum as it’s easy to apply an emotional attachment to things we’re scared of parting with! Be selective – best to save them only the high quality, designer and vintage pieces as these are more likely to be futureproof and gratefully received.
And regarding pile 4 – be brave. It’s time to purge clothes that no longer reflect who you are today and make room for garments that do! If throwing things away scares you try bagging them up for a charity shop as you’ll be helping a good cause and clearing some space. Or, if the item is worth a bit of money, sell it on eBay or Gumtree – this way you won’t feel so guilty!
Always remember; although certain clothes serve as a reminder of your journey, getting rid of them doesn’t erase any special memories – it simply allows room for the ongoing journeys yet to be had. It’s easy to be sentimental about a shirt of even a pair of socks, but each piece will be one of many mementos. Choose only the most special to keep with you!
For more tips and advise, visit Safestore.
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