It is oh so very easy to want to lounge around in my comfy clothes all day long, especially when I have days where I don’t need to leave the house. I also have days where I feel like putting makeup on, doing my hair and finding an outfit to wear is so far from grasp that I end up taking a shortcut. For me, this shortcut for the past few years has been Next Jeggings. Although, they don’t really look like jeggings, they are thicker and have very convincing detail which make them look more like jeans. (Let me at least try to convince myself!)
I, admittedly, maybe a little too often found myself reaching for said jeggings, on days where I simply couldn’t be bothered. Paired with a cosy jumper, a shirt or an oversized tee, I’d pop on my converse and hey presto! I was dressed. But thats just how it felt – I was dressed. On those days, where I would reach for this attire, I have come to realise that I was miserable. I didn’t feel like the clothes I was venturing out in really reflected me, my personality or my style. Going for the easier, quicker option, meant I stopped myself going into places, going to speak to people I knew and just generally feeling confident. I know that might seem far fetched and I hate to say it, but my personal appearance has a lot to do with how I feel.
I never used to have an interest in fashion or makeup, I was very overweight and self conscious. Yes, I am still carrying more weight than I should be but I am doing something about it by eating healthily and exercising more. Something has just clicked all of a sudden, I don’t know why, perhaps it is all of you, supporting me and willing me on, but recently I have learned to embrace my body and its shape. It isn’t perfect, it is lumpy and bumpy and some days all I want is to throw on a baggy jumper and a pair of thick, fluffy socks, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.
The days where I put a few more minutes in deciding what to wear, in putting an outfit together, I feel so much more confident. Some days I even feel fabulous! I’ve stopped thinking, “That top is too pretty to go to Tesco in”. It isn’t about impressing anybody else, it is about how your style makes you feel. I see it almost as a uniform, a protective layer of clothing that I feel good in and may even be complimented on.
I have decided therefore, that I will have two uniforms. One will be joggers and hoodies, for those days where I am staying in, cleaning or nipping to the postbox. Anything else, I will whip out some pieces from my second wardrobe. I am forcing myself to take an extra 5 minutes in the morning, thinking about what I want to wear that day. I don’t want to just grab the easiest thing and put it on, I want something that is going to reflect my mood that day and make me walk taller.
If you have been stuck in a rut like me, try something new, I promise it will raise your self confidence levels.
ALF x
Canva [jqwrubwnecmkssjxif]