Here’s How a Crowded Closet Kills Confidence

You are not the same person you were last year. Not emotionally, not physically. Chances are you are not the same financially either. You may have gained weight or lost it; your wallet may have done the same. Perhaps you changed professions or had a change in your health or location.

Your confidence may have changed as well.

So, why is it that we tend to hold onto our favorite clothing items as if they should still serve us like they used to?

Wardrobe Weedings are the hardest part of my job and I get it; after all, I, too, have a hard time removing items from my closet that I used to love. You know, the outfit that felt so right for that special event with such found memories. I’d love to wear it again but I probably won’t.

  • It’s outdated now.
  • It’s faded, stretched, stained, or torn.
  • It doesn’t fit me right anymore.
  • I feel foolish in it even though I love it on the hanger.

FullSizeRender 6Okay, I don’t personally do the last one like I used to, but that one is by far the most common hold-back (or shall I say “hold on”?) for someone who doesn’t know their personal Img.ID so I had to include it. I certainly do still struggle with the others, professional or not. Look at the puckers in these pants I was just wearing. Ugh! I was so uncomfortable all day! Why didn’t I get rid of them the last time I wore them? Well, like most women, I don’t want to spend the money to replace items that once looked so good. But let’s think this through.

What benefit is there to holding onto those old favorites, which we do not or cannot wear anymore? I’m sorry, but nothing comes to mind except avoiding the fear of feeling empty or looking broke. It has been my experience, however,  that a closet full of poor choices has a way of killing our confidence:

  • We keep putting them on only to feel awkward, uncomfortable or self-conscious.
  • They crowd our closet and make us feel guilty for wanting more clothes or foolish for saying “I have nothing to wear!”
  • A crowded closet causes clothing to be wrinkled, adding ironing to our workload.
  • They torment us with times gone by and keep us from putting old memories to rest.
  • They hold us back from being the weight, profession, strength that we are this year. (Yes, for some of you, that yellow polka dot bikini may be a motivator, but for most of us it only creates negative self-talk. If the item you hold onto in hopes to wear again is old and not new, then I challenge you to consider if it may be more of a tool for punishment than it is for goal setting.)
  • Too much clothing in our closet can clutter our ability to make quick and easy choices each morning as to what to wear.
  • The clutter remains in the back of our mind throughout the day and actually causes stress.
  • and stress kills.

Yes, that old pair of jeans, which used to look so hot on you, could actually be actually killing you now!  Maybe it’s time to pass them along to someone who can wear them with confidence?

The bottom lwardrobe weedingine: When it comes to having a confident closet, less is more.

 

Helping a client clean out her closet –as well as weeding my own wardrobe–may be the hardest part of my job, but it is extremely rewarding. I encourage you to take this week to refine your options of what to wear. When your closet only contains clothing that compliments your true (and current) beauty getting dressed and ready for the day is not only easier and more rewarding, but you will find that you won’t think about what you are wearing all day long. That’s true beauty:

  • taking care of yourself
  • forgetting about yourself and
  • focus on the people you are with and the tasks you must complete with confidence that doesn’t pucker and pull like misfit slacks do!

To help you weed out your own wardrobe, I have created a simple checklist for you. Click here to get free download.

visit www.CatrinaWelch.com for more info on Confident Beauty Image- and Life-Coaching
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