Get Dressed: The Easiest Way To Build Confidence as a Mom

I remember a high school teacher of mine telling the class that “When you look your best, you do your best”.  It’s been one of those statements that has stuck with me over the years.

I’ve tested it out several times since then and it seems to be true for me.  In college, I’d get up and dressed up (you know in my nice jeans) on big test days.  When I was working outside the home, I’d put on a nice dress or outfit on days when I knew I had to be my best.

Usually, the better I felt about how I looked, the more confident I felt about myself.  Looking good and feeling confident helped me make sound decisions and speak up for myself.

But since becoming a Mom, my high heals are hiding the dark corners of my closet, covered in an impressive layer of dust.  My best dresses haven’t been worn in years, and my pretty outfits are pretty dated.

I started to discover that comfy was best.

I spent most of my days in my trusty blue jeans, shorts, or yoga pants.

I got into the habit of wearing very little to no makeup at all…which btw goes against everything that this southern girl was taught about first impressions.

I wore my hair in a pony tail or under a hat.

And then I ended up in one big huge Mom Funk.  I felt sluggish, unhappy, moody, and overall funky

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I wrote about my experience of my Mom Funk and how I planned on getting out of it, but I missed something huge.

GET DRESSED!

As the cobwebs of my Mom Funk started to fall away, I started to notice that I needed to actually get dressed.

It was time that I got out of my yoga pants and my too big pair of jeans.

It was time that I spent the small amount of time to put on my make up.

It was time to fix my hair. It was time to feel pretty again.

My sloppy attire was part of why I felt funky and I wasn’t able to do my best because I didn’t feel my best.

Now, I look better, feel better, and parent better.  It all kind of goes hand in hand.

Ok, don’t get me wrong.  I do still have those days when I can’t pull myself together and I put on my trusty baseball hat.  But, most days I find a few moments in the morning to take care of myself.

I’ve discovered that I don’t have to look fantastic every day and I don’t spend hours getting dressed…who has time for that?!  But, I do make sure that I do my bare minimum, which for me is fixing my hair, putting on makeup, and wearing an outfit that is clean, looks nice and that I wouldn’t wear to the gym.

I do still wear blue jeans and shorts most days, but my yoga pants are only brought out on days that I get to the gym.  My jeans are stylish and actually fit, and  I pair my shorts and jeans with really cute shirts that I love.  Some days…I even put on a skirt!

My favorite part of my personal get dressed movement is that I actually put on nice, cute outfits for those moments when I don’t have my kids around.  If I’m going to the doctor, out with my husband, or coffee with friends, I wont’ hesitate to put on a dress.

My big problem with this plan was that my good clothes were a bit out of date and I have no extra time these days to go shopping.  So, I used the internet.  I’ve used several online clothing services, but I buy from these two all the time.
Affiliate links have been included for your convenience 

• Stitch Fix:  Oh, I’m in LOVE with Stitch Fix!  They are an online personal shopping service.  You fill out a style profile that tells them about your style and what you like and don’t like.  You can even share with them a pinboard from pinterest.  Then a personal stylist picks out 5 articles of clothing that they think will be fabulous for you and send them your way.  You keep what you want and send back the rest.  I’ve written about them before (because I love them).  Click this link to read more about my first experience with Stitch Fix.  I’ve had 4 fixes so far and I’ve bought something every time…last time I kept it all!

• The Chic Orchard:  This is one of those online clothing stores that sells really inexpensive quality stuff.  Sign up for their emails and you’ll know right away of their newest deal.  They don’t have a huge inventory and it changes all the time, so you have to purchase their deals pretty quick.  Some of their stuff is totally not my style, but I’ve gotten a few fun pieces from them that I’m really happy with.  Oh and it all arrives very fast!

 

With these services, I have no more excuses for not looking my best! You should totally join me and ban the yoga pants and start getting dressed…you’ll feel awesome because of it!

[Tweet “When you look your best, you do your best! #getdressed #nomoreyogapants”]

I have not been compensated by these companies for writing this post.