Why I’ve Been Dressing Up for the Apocalypse

Lockdown. It’s been a strange old time, huh? When all of this Coronavirus palaver kicked off I’m not sure any of us really realised what lockdown was going to mean. I thought we may have to stay indoors for maybe three weeks, 4 weeks tops. And yet here we are, 3 months later, only just having some of our freedoms restored and most definitely emerging back out into the world with considerably less sanity than when we started. I don’t know about you, but I almost feel institutionalised at this point. On the rare occasions we do wander a little further afield than the usual dog walk I can’t help like feeling like a gang of people in hazmat suits might jump out at any moment and forcibly escort me home! Of course, I realise many have had it far worse than me, so I’m being a little dramatic when I describe this as the Apocalypse, but it has been the end of the world as we know it, so I’m sticking with it.

It all started nicely enough. The sun shone. Oh, how much the sun shone, for what felt like weeks! Our days were an endless blur of BBQs and paddling pools in the garden and long, leisurely walks through the fields with the dog. It was a lovely novelty having Dan home from work all the time, and honestly, as someone with social anxiety, not having the pressure on me to go out and DO SOMETHING everyday was a welcome relief. I kind of relished being able to sit on the sofa and cuddle my boy all day without feeling guilty for it! But all too soon the monotony kicked in and I started to find it very hard to find the motivation to change out of my pyjamas, never mind into something noteable. There were plenty of mornings where I genuinely felt as though there just wasn’t any point in dirtying clothes I’d just have to wash and put away again even though I hadn’t even left the house! I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days when I gave in to that urge to wallow – particularly when all that lovely sunshine disappeared – but I’ve been doing my best to fight against that desire and not make it a regular habit, and here’s why.

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“And somehow the simple act of getting dressed has given me that much needed confidence boost to tackle whatever else might be coming our way”

Clothes are more than just something practical to me. They are how I express myself. They are body armour, in a way. They affect my mood and how I’m feeling. So, you may well ask, if my mood has been so despondent, why not reflect that in my outfits? Well, sometimes I did. Sometimes a baggy old jumper was the only thing that seemed appropriate for the day. But I’m also a firm believer that you can dress for the day you’d like to have, and while the day I’d truly like to have – probably me and Bailey wandering around the shops then stopping to read a book with coffee and cake before meeting up with friends for a good old catch up – isn’t possible right now, I can at least do what I can to lighten my mood, and a beautiful dress or a statement pair of heels can go an awful long way towards achieving that for me. For some reason, taking the time to select an outfit, do my hair and put on some make up really makes a difference. If I stay in my sweats all day I’ll likely achieve nothing more than a marathon Netflix session, but once I’m up and dressed in a frock that makes me feel fabulous I start to feel like I can do so much more, even if that so much more is simply batch cooking some new meals for Bailey or finally swapping out all the Winter coats from the coat cupboard. Once I’ve started ticking jobs off the list I start to feel even better, and somehow the simple act of getting dressed has given me that much needed confidence boost to tackle whatever else might be coming our way. It’s a tactic I always used to employ when I was working, and it’s doing just as good a job now that I’m not!

As an added bonus, it also means some of my fanciest frocks and shoes are finally getting some time out of the wardrobe, and that can really only be a good thing! So for now, while it may seem daft to – quite literally – get all dressed up with nowhere to go, I’m going to carry on making the effort to throw on some sequins and high heels every now and then. My sanity genuinely depends on it!

How about you? Have you been weathering the storm in sweatpants, or donning the glitz and glamour at every opportunity?

Love,

In This Post: Dress, Zara (old) – Shoes, Dune (old)

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