Posted on October 7, 2019 by dragonspitapothecary
As we start to pull out warmer socks, cuddly sweaters and jeans we’ve not worn in months we notice changes about ourselves. We may realize our jeans don’t feel or look as good as we remember and our sweaters are not as cuddly as when we last wore them. We can see our closet as a collection of things we once loved and easily reach for become a space of needed change. What is there no longer fits or aligns to who we are now. Or perhaps it’s not what is in the closet at all but rather us that has to change.
There is no nudge better than a tour through my closet to remind me of my love for pretty clothes, shoes and bags. There is a section for my work clothes when I have to travel. It is filled with business jackets, slacks, long skirts and heels. Then there is my go-to section of daily tops and t-shirts including my motorcycle shirts. This section is followed by my more dressy things I don’t wear that often at all. I have a whole separate section for sweaters, hoodies and warmer clothes. My closet is a good representation of me. The colors I like, the style of clothes I prefer, what I consider fun things and what are my regular go-tos. You will find a lot of basics and classics that I can dress up or down depending on need. I picked out every single item in that space.
Yet when I walk into my closet it’s more about how I feel about my body than what is hanging on the racks in that space. When I walk into that space I instantly become aware of my thighs, waist and arms. More often than not it’s what I choose not to wear that day because of how I feel about myself than my love of that particular piece of clothing. How long I stand there each day saying to myself, “no not that,” or “not today.” All because of how I feel physically and emotionally about my shape.
The Good Thing About Fall Clothes?
Since I work at home the majority of time now I often wear comfy clothes like shorts in the summer and yoga pants in the cooler months. They are easy and comfy. Over-sized t-shirts, soft hoodies and thick socks are a wonderful way to get through your work day of conference calls and meetings. These items shift easily into mom-mode after the workday when I need to toss in laundry or get something cooking for dinner. It certainly cuts down on dry cleaning and laundry because of not having to change from my work clothes to something more relaxing at home.
The problem is most of my Fall clothes “hide” what I may not feel that great about myself physically. Feeling fat one day? No problem reach for that lovely gray over-sized to-shirt. Feeling bloated? No problem, stretchy black yoga pants work wonders! My clothes have become a way to hide me versus supporting who I really am because of how I may be feeling about myself that day. Let’s just say my yoga pants see very little actual tree poses unless I’m standing in front of the window looking outside.
When our clothes start to hide us and we get lost in the comfy status, we start to hide from ourselves. We stop seeing ourselves and what is going on with our body. We stop listening to the beautiful flow of our systems working together giving us life every second of every day. We simply cover it up and go about our day taking for granted what is underneath those layers of soft cuddly clothes. We don’t think about our thighs, waist or arms when they are covered in a cute oversized top and stretchy pants.
My Fall Changeover
I have just started to need warmer clothes where I live, in the mornings primarily. A long sleeved t-shirt or cotton sweater mostly. As I started to pull out sweaters, long sleeved tops and of course my yoga pants I realized I didn’t want to hide under them anymore. I wanted their warmth and comfort but I didn’t want to feel I was hiding. That wasn’t serving me physically or emotionally anymore.
Instead of just grabbing those things I would once wear for comfort and hiding I packed them up and sent them to charity. It was challenging the first time I walked into my closet and realized I couldn’t reach for them anymore. There were still yoga pants and hoodies but I made myself promise that if I put them on I had to actually do a little yoga or take a walk or anything else that counts as a little exercise. I had to not use those clothes to hide from myself or else they would have to go too.
This has been challenging for me. I don’t like cooler weather so it’s hard for me to get motivated to go out when it’s windy cold or getting dark to take a walk. Doing this has actually deterred me from putting on yoga pants a time or two as well. I will opt for jeans instead but then I realize my jeans are tight so I then revert to the yoga pants and take a walk! It’s sort of like my clothes are working in my favor these days.
Since making these small changes in my closet I notice a difference when I enter that space. Yes, there are still a lot of days I will say, “no not that” or “not today” but it’s not because I feel bad about myself as much. I still very much feel my thighs, waist and arms but I’m more of the mindset what can I wear that will support how I want to feel about myself rather than hiding under over-sized clothing.
The wonderful thing about this process in addition to resetting how I think about myself is the space this has created in my closet once I got rid of the things that were hiding me. This has given me a little more room and ideas for how wonderful it will be to pick up some new items of a smaller size one day.
As Supportive as Spandex
Alongside the changes I’ve made in my closet have been some incredible supporting oils that help emotionally and physically improve the relationship I have with my body and wardrobe. I’ve been using these daily during this process to help me not only see what I was doing in my closet but how much I needed to re-establish with my own self.
I only use doTERRA essential oils because of their commitment to purity and transparency in the process of producing, testing and distributing their oils. Since many of these oils I use internally I didn’t want to have adverse side effects by some questionable oil.
Daily –
Take 1 capsule that contains 2 drops Yarrow/POM, 2 drops Pink Pepper, 2 drops Black Pepper, 2 drops Tumeric and 2 drops Ginger (make up a bunch and store in freezer to have ready for use)Take 2 doTERRA Mito2Max supplements (1 in morning and 1 in afternoon)Take doTERRA Life Long Vitality morning and afternoon
These 3 things I am doing daily for improving my metabolism, hormones and cellular function. What I notice is an improved level of energy and my mood is much more positive and uplifting. I feel like I want to take a walk and feel happier and more motivated.
I am also adding 2 drops Grapefruit and 1 drop Lemon to my water that I drink during the day. It is hard for me to drink water in cooler months and I have always seen my coffee intake increase during this time of year. However, adding the grapefruit and lemon oils have helped me realize the water tastes good and I’m not as dehydrated as usual.
Weekly –
I have started rewarding myself with a nice soak in a hot tub as a treat for making it through the work week and getting a few walks in. This is my space to reach a trashy novel or just enjoy the steam coming up off the water in the tub. It is entirely possible to enjoy a spa treatment at home so it is economical and beneficial to your body and spirit. To the water I add,
1/4 cup baking soda1/2 cup Epsom salt 3 drops doTERRA Lavender 3 drops doTERRA Melalueca 3 drops Wild Orange
The lavender is comforting and relaxing while the Melaleuca is helping draw out impurities and toxins. The Wild Orange helps with immunity support and is uplifting emotionally. These oils work well with the baking soda and salts to shrink fat cells and restore our body after a long week. It is incredibly soothing and softening.
Afterwards I love to use the doTERRA Beautiful Hydrating Mist to provide a luxurious coating all over my body to help my skin retain moisture and stay soft in the colder months.
Rebuild Your Relationship with Your Body
My journey with my body is still evolving but I am no longer hiding her under big clothes. She is emerging and I am feeling more in love with her the more I go into my closet these days. There are still sections of clothes from work to fun and dressy but there are no more clothes that shame or hide me, no matter my size.
Are you ready to rebuild your relationship with your body? Are you desiring to fall back in love with your closet and enjoy going in that space every day? Let’s take this journey together. Click here to get started: dragonspitapothecary.com
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