How fashion impacts our mental health

Everyone has a way of coping with their mental health issues. Some people venture out doing their life adventures but that’s not what everyone can do. We all have choices, you just have to be creative and innovative. Speaking of creativity, fashion can always be important in uplifting your day. It amazes people how fashion is a game changer. Fashion can always be a reflection of your mental state. It is the best form of self-love. How you dress up is how you treat yourself. As we are discussing how dressing up and looking good can uplift your mood there is a science behind it.

The term “Enclothed cognition” describes the influence on a person’s mental health of fashion. Fashion can make a big difference in your mental health. It has the power to change how you think, feel, and perceive.  Have you ever seen how people who are working in the field of arts, fashion, or the acting industry always radiate positive energy, keeping everything around them motivated? It can be a good motivation for you on bad days. It can also increase your dopamine if you’re looking for it.

The clothes and colors you choose have different approaches toward your mental health, it can be positive or negative. It can also work as a distraction, you can talk about it. We use the term “Retail Therapy”. It is not just an excuse to go shopping, it can genuinely help alleviate stress and make your mind clear of unnecessary thoughts.

 Here are some ways fashion can help you boost your mood.

1. Fashion as a tool of self-expression:

 If you’re trying to express yourself in ways where you can’t find the right words, dressing up can be your voice. Fashion can always be a form of expression. People can get an idea of your personality just by the way you dress up. Fashion and culture are always intertwined with each other whenever we talk about fashion, culture naturally comes to our mind. Culture can be your way to reflect your personality and also the expression of your cultural values. Your culture and fashion can be a unique way to express yourself. Culture has a huge influence on the fashion industry. If you understand the history behind your clothes and art you can create the perfect look for your style.  

2. The Psychology of Clothing Choices:

We always tend to have an expression for different colors, we perceive colors as a sense of emotions. Different colors have different perspectives. Colors can also affect our moods and feelings Red is associated with power, confidence, and passion. It can also give an idea of anger. Yellow is associated with joy and happiness, and some people find it depressing. Black represents strength, seriousness, and mystery. Just like green is the color of nature, warmth, and health. These are just general ideas of colors in choosing style. People tend to perceive colors differently. For some people black is their happy color. They feel beautiful and confident wearing black. But colors have different approaches toward different styles. You just need to find one.

3. Overcoming fashion pressure:

Getting into fashion doesn’t mean you must have to fulfill certain standards. You can always find fashion in your comfort zone. In our society we face a lot of challenges and criticism when we wear anything it's being told you’re too fit or too fat for it, your body color doesn’t compliment the dress. People face challenges to meet beauty standards. The only thing that matters is our confidence. If we wear anything with confidence. We can bear any kind of stigma or judgment.

4. Fast fashion and Sustainability:

Getting into fashion is fun, and always a mood booster. You keep experimenting until you find your style. In this process fast fashion plays an important role, you get a lot of options, trendy designs, and cheap clothes. The constant availability of cheap and trendy clothes can get confusing and depressing. You’re buying a huge amount of clothes to maintain your fashion needs. It always promotes unrealistic beauty standards. Fast fashion's motto is to emphasize quantity over quality. Fast fashion also has physical health issues, they use cheap and harmful materials and toxic chemicals to make a lot of clothes. These are some of the reasons why sustainability is suggested. It is not harmful and it is recyclable. You can always go for thrift clothing if you’re looking for more options. You will always get the quality away from toxic materials. Sustainability also plays a major role in self-care. It can also help you to revive your traditional clothing.

5. Breaking Stereotypes with Fashion:

People have always had a stereotypical approach toward fashion but in the past these years we have seen how fashion has evolved. Fashion is not just about your style, it is a community itself. The fashion industry is getting inclusive. The designers are working with every kind of model no matter what size, age, and color they are. This sends a powerful message of confidence. If you like to wear what suits your style, wear it with confidence. We need to keep pushing those boundaries and challenging outdated norms.

Final thoughts: Fashion is one of the few things that can be consumed in every culture across the globe. It has no language but still has the power to play a role in your mental health. Fashion is the form of expression of our mental state. It can empower individuals to communicate their culture, thoughts, and ideology. However, the rise of fast fashion can have negative effects. It promotes unnecessary beauty standards and Instagram-driven trends, which can leave people feeling self-conscious about their bodies.  People should focus on sustainability and inclusive fashion to maintain a healthy relationship with fashion. Fashion can be a great form to distract yourself and change your mind for a short period but you cannot completely rely on this if you’re genuinely struggling with significant mental health challenges you must seek professional help.