There’s a long list of things the pandemic has ruined for millions. Weddings. Vacations. Birthdays parties. Concerts. Clubs. I mean, the list is like a CVS receipt. But I refused for it to ruin having a reason for me to dress up.
The reality of being a mom of a toddler is that dressing up is already a luxury. Despite what you may see me wearing in most of my Instagram posts, half of the time I’m in a t-shirt and pajamas when I’m at home. Pre-pandemic, I’m sure most would admit they looked forward to leaving the office at the end of the day. The two reasons I would most look forward to leaving work was being able to see my daughter and getting the heck out of restrictive clothing and into some stretchy pajama pants.
So now that I find myself mostly at home, to keep my sanity and have something to look forward to I continue my subscription to Rent the Runway. It allows me to have an occasional fancy day and dress up like I’m going out for a date night. It makes me feel good, gets some distraction from the depressive state of the world, and get that serotonin flowing. The best part is, I don’t have any added pressure or guilt of money or clothes going to waste and left hanging in the closet only to be worn a handful of times. If I like it and want to really keep it, I buy it (which I’ve done a few times during the pandemic, actually).
The other reason I continue to stay out of sweats and dress up is for work. While there are certainly days I just throw on a t-shirt, as someone who is in a role that manages others my energy influences my team. If I am constantly looking like a slob and putting in minimal effort in my appearance, then what message am I sending through the screen? Most people are already suffering silently in different ways and depression is more common right now than the latest viral TikTok video. So the last thing I want to do is to contribute to someone feeling low.
Maybe it’s not dressing up for you, but maybe you like to give yourself a facial, put on music and dance, cook, make TikTok videos, or whatever the f*ck. The point is to give yourself to still have something to look forward to that makes you feel good and brings you some joy. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy (although for me with designer clothes it is a little *wink*) but don’t sacrifice whatever that is. And be happy, even if it’s temporary because you deserve to be happy. 🙂