Hello! I’ve been on an extra long break. During my long hiatus I’ve been doing a lot of internal work and focusing on larger issues outside of myself. I’ve been doing a lot of learning as well. Motherhood is a special journey and through our interactions with our closest people you learn about yourself in the most humbling way. I bet I’m not the only mother who in the course of parenting has looked internally at her own processes.
One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that I have been living with (undiagnosed) attention deficit disorder (ADD) my entire life. I’m finally addressing it in adulthood. I discovered it through the process of getting my kids diagnosed. In learning to help my children navigate school and life I’ve picked up a lot of skills and learning that I’m also applying to my own life. I’m also noticing more about how I operate. One of my biggest discoveries: having a lot of “stuff” overwhelms me. I think clearly with less clutter. I do better when things are grouped in smaller parts — “chunking” is the what they call it in executive function education.
How does this apply to fashion? I’ve adapted a minamalist approach to my closet. I created a small, seasonal capsule wardrobe separate and apart from my regular closet. The idea of a capsule wardrobe is not new, but the necessity of adopting the practice is new for me. A seasonal capsule wardrobe works so much better for my scattered brain. I used to reach for the same things over and over because it was easier to remember the things I wore frequently. I hadn’t noticed before that my closet was overwhelming because it contained too many things. It wasn’t until I tried moving seasonal pieces into another space that I realized how much easier it was to choose something to wear.
A seasonal capsule wardrobe is freeing because you are seeing just a small number of items that are all appropriate for the time of year. There is a certain satisfaction in trying to wear everything you see just once before the season is over. I hadn’t anticipated how good it would make me feel. It also really helped me decide on whether an item should be purged from my closet. If I put an item on and wasn’t feeling it or opted for something else instead, I gave myself permission to remove it from my capsule. If I don’t want to wear it now, I won’t want to wear it ever! I might give it another chance but if I didn’t wear it by the end of the season it was a sign that it wasn’t for me anymore.
A small, seasonal capsule wardrobe is better for my attention-deficit brain, my wallet, and our planet. Here’s why:
♦ When you are attention-deficit, having a lot of “things” is overwhelming
♦ Fewer items forces me to wear what I have in new and interesting ways. I’m forced to be creative
♦ With fewer closet items it’s easy to clearly see what I have (and don’t have)
♦ I spend less money on clothes by focusing more on gaps in my wardrobe
♦ It’s easy to get social media-marketed into new purchases but when there’s less closet space I have to think more carefully about how an item fits in my capsule. It also helps reduce my impulse to buy too many similar items
♦ I focus more on high quality purchases because I’m more focused on building a seasonal wardrobe
♦ Purchasing higher quality items (over fast fashion) is better for the environment overall because the pieces are well-made and designed to last
♦ Finally, if I don’t wear it this season, then I consign or donate for next season (unless the item is a classic staple that I KNOW my future self will regret)
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