I’ve been sharing my daily outfits over on my instagram stories for several months now, in the hopes that it will not only help give you guys outfit ideas, but also inspire you to approach getting dressed in an intentional way. I’ve had so many women reach out, especially in the last month, and tell me how life changing incorporating this one habit has been for them.
Subsequently, this topic has been at the forefront of my mind, and I’ve been thinking a lot about why it has such a powerfully positive impact on our days. There’s a lot of study into the psychology of how what we physically do with our bodies impacts our mental state. Exercise, lifts your mood, the way you eat, what you ingest all affects your mental state, and so does the way you get dressed.
Why outfit planning is so powerful.
When I was a kid I had a primary teacher in church who taught me something, and it has literally stayed with me for 30 years. She said, “If you make up your mind now how you will act in certain situations, you won’t be tempted to do the wrong thing when the situation arrives because you will have already decided.” Almost nothing has hit me harder than this simple principle. I remember sitting there and in that moment making some decision about the way I would live my life, things that I would and wouldn’t do. And I have never deviated from them. In that moment my primary teacher was instilling in my mind the idea of living with intention. Because I set the intention beforehand to live in a certain way, I’ve been able to stay firm in how I wanted to live. Even when it might have been hard to stay the course, it didn’t feel that way. It felt liberating, to not have to go through life constant making up my mind about how I was going to be in any given situation.
Living with intention is about deciding beforehand the way you want to live your life, the kind of decisions you’re going to make and the direction you are going to go. That way, each day you are able to move forward with clear direction and purpose and it’s much easier to keep yourself from deviating from that path. (It’s also a huge relief from decision fatigue.)
It blows my mind how many people shrug off style and getting dressed as some superficial thing we do everyday, without realizing the massive role getting dressed plays in living with intention. Getting dressed is one of the first physical things we do each day and it subconsciously signals to our brains how we plan to show up for life. Ever noticed how much better of a day you have when the outfit you’re wearing makes you feel like a million bucks? You always show up for life better on those days. That’s not a coincidence. By planning outfits in advance that make you feel like a million bucks, you are making the intentional decision beforehand to show up for life that week as your best self. This endows you with the power and confidence you need to keep working towards other intentions you’ve set for your life.
Other benefits of outfit planning:
It saves you time in the morning, keeps you from decision fatigue, makes it easier to be more intentional with your wardrobe (because you are more aware of what you are actually wearing), and perhaps the biggest benefit to me is that it helps relieve or at least manage anxiety. I’ve struggled with anxiety since I was a teenager, and outfit planning is one of my most powerful tools in my arsenal for fighting it. When I wake up in the morning with anxiety and all I want to do is stay in my pajamas, curl up in a ball and hide, I know that I’ve already decided what I am going to wear that day, and that I am going to show up for life. I don’t have the extra worry of trying to figure out what I am going to wear, the decision is made and I know that as soon as I am dressed, I’m going to feel better. That is usually enough to snap me out of an anxiety cycle, and is really such a God-send.
Here are the outfits from the last week and a half!
shop this look here.
The weather has really started to warm up over the last week and a half and I have been thrilled to pull out all my mules and flats and let my ankles out for the first time in what feels like forever. I got these Fortress of Inca mules right before winter started (not my wisest purchase timing ever, I’ll admit) but I was so excited to pull them out again. They are beautiful and so comfortable and I can’t wait to wear them all through spring, summer and fall.
shop this look here.
I swear, the minute the weather starts to turn into spring, I’ve got overalls and jumpsuits on my brain nonstop. It’s one of my favorite things to incorporate into a warm weather capsule. Until it warms up all the way, I love layering them with a long cardigan.
shop this look here.
I’ve had my raincoats in rotation a lot lately and I’m really loving them as an easy spring layer. I’m planning to grab this one in black.
shop this look here.
shop this look here.
I am all about floral dresses this spring. They’re such a pretty piece to add to your capsule and actually quite versatile. I especially love how they’re just a great instant outfit without having to do much.
shop this look here.
shop this look here.
I have two words for you: Utility coats. If you haven’t added one to your spring/ summer capsule, consider this your invitation. Such a great versatile coat that you can wear super casual or a little more dressed up.
shop this look here.
You may have noticed that I’ve worn these jeans in several different outfits. I forgot how much I loved them, and this was the pleasant result of a season quick closet clean-out, and just affirmed to me, yet again, how beneficial it is to do this every season. If you aren’t sure where to get started for the first time, or just feel lost with your closet in general, check out my comprehensive style course, The Intentional Closet. It covers everything from mindset, to closet cleaning and organization, to body types, pinpointing your style and building a capsule.
If you want to try out outfit planning this week, you can download my free printable planner here:
Great post.