in more ways than one.
in a number of previous posts i’ve stated i have clinical depression. without waxing poetic too much on the topic, i will say that though my depression is no longer severe, i still have my down days where i basically don’t get out of bed. maybe i’ll eat - maybe. i’ll probably use the bathroom - probably. so trust the not-getting-out-of-bed-ness is very literal. after i do that for a couple days - if i have the luxury to, that is - i usual feel fine and continue life as normal (“normal”). on days where i do not have such luxury, however, how i present myself to the world can actually help me feel (sometimes a lot) better.
read this.
in familiar magazine/blog fashion, complex topics are nutshelled into cute, catchy numbers to guarantee (short attention-span) readership. though i agree with the author’s assertion - that how one dresses can help one cope healthfully with potentially destructive emotions such as chronic and severe depression - i also agree with this commenters’ assessment of the article and more thoughtful suggestion of how small acts - such as focus on attire - can brighten an otherwise dreary, potentially suicidal day.
when i ready myself to go out, depending on the occasion (from errand-running to work to going out with friends) the attention i pay to what clothing, accessories, and makeup i decorate myself with has seen a 1000% increase from about 8 years ago when my depression was at its himalayan-like peak. at that time, i literally maintained a minimally acceptable level of hygiene (brush teeth, showered) and slapped on whatever was not only the most comfortable, but comforting: jeans, a hoodie, and my pumas.
needless to say, i wasn’t leaving the house looking like someone who cared too much about her appearance because…when one wants to die, presentation is of the least concern.
now that i have more than a decade of depression experience under my belt, i better understand what i can do even on my most shitastic of days to make living a little less painful. also, now that my self-confidence is way up (one of the things my depression had robbed me of), i now have way too much pride to leave the house looking like a hot-fucking-mess. :)
