Make Having Fun A Daily Priority
Here is your Monday Morning Briefing on the power of mindset and so much more.
Welcome to the Roundup
Welcome to The Roundup, a Monday series that discusses the BEST OF in Mental Health + Motherhood + Fashion + Identity.
Good morning everyone. And HAPPY FEBRUARY. The month of fashion weeks, chocolate candies and romance, and a glimmer of hope that Spring will take Winter’s place soon.
Here is what’s happening this week.
Mental Health
We all know how powerful mindset shifts are. They can make the difference between having a miserable life or a fantastic one — simply because we say so.
And it got me thinking. I am someone who gets stressed out over nothing. I’m not fond of this quality of mine, but I have it. If I’m excited about something, however, I will follow through with it, no matter what. If I feel like the end goal (and the process to get there) is to have fun, I will succeed in carrying it out.
Because I thrive on excitement, I figured if I viewed something I usually dread (a hard conversation, a day stuck at home) as an opportunity to grow and be more creative, maybe I would stop viewing my responsibilities in life as stressful.
Lawyer and Hypnotherapist Daina Worrall provides 4 mindset shifts to overcome fear and anxiety, saying:
“Did you know that your mind will believe to be true anything you continually say to it? If you tell yourself every day that you’re bad at public speaking or you always get anxious at work, then guess what? That’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Whether you write it down or say it aloud every day, list out the attributes of the person you want to be and tell yourself every day, for as long as it takes, that you’re that person. You’ll see just how effective this is.”
So, instead of viewing your responsibilities and commitments as discipline, try looking at what makes you feel consistently excited. And be nice to yourself.
Motherhood
Statistics on maternal mental health indicate that at least 1 out of every 5 new mothers in the U.S. experiences some form of mental health challenge that makes it difficult for her to offer her children the full amount of care they need.
Translation? There are over 750,000 mothers right now who need serious support to maintain a healthy psychological and emotional balance. Research also shows that maternal mental health issues can begin during pregnancy and persist far longer than is commonly realized.
I’m seeking to normalize the mental health struggles mothers face in everyday life by sharing stories of everyday moms. That said, February will be dedicated to Mental Health + Motherhood. If you know someone who would like to share their story on this subject, do let me know.
Fashion
Alber Elbaz asked the simple question, “What do women want?” when it comes to fashion, and he came up with a solution — build up a functional wardrobe collection over the course of 1 year that works for everyday, any occasion, any feeling — rather than separating evening-wear from daywear, loungewear from work-wear, Spring/Summer from Fall/Winter, etc.
He said:
“I asked myself, ‘If I was a woman, what would I want?’ Something that is first comfortable. Something fun. Something that lets me eat a big piece of cake.
I started to question why men’s clothes close in the front and women’s in the back. In the movies you see women struggling to zip it up. So I thought I would make it so ‘Honey, I can do it myself.’”
This is both a novel idea to the fashion industry and a wise approach to sustainability. While we don’t have to spend $350 on his structured balloon skirt, we can adopt his freeing concept and incorporate it into our own lives so we can finally stop saying, “I have nothing to wear.”
Identity
Don’t underestimate the power of self-mantras. I’ve talked extensively about the power of positive affirmations, and it’s because they work!
If you’re struggling with an identity crisis right now, or you’re just feeling the winter blues, give self-mantras a whirl.
Mine this week are:
I deserve to be happy. I deserve to feel good. I deserve to look good.
This article explains why they work so well.
Takeaway
- Mental Health — Make having fun a daily priority, no matter how small it seems. What are you pursuing that makes you feel excited about life?
- Motherhood — Moms endure a special sort of hell when it comes to mental health. If you’re a mom struggling with it (or you know a friend who is), educate yourself on why this happens to new mothers, and understand how common mental health struggles are for mothers.
- Fashion — We don’t have to follow rules or trends, ever. By simply allowing ourselves to wear what feels good to us, we are empowering ourselves. A little fashion inspiration never hurt anyone either, so here is some if you want it.
- Identity — No matter how you’re feeling mentally right now — fabulous or terrible or confused or confident — reciting self-mantras is an incredible way to start your mornings and boost your mood from the get-go.
In case you missed it…
Last week I talked about responding to grief. Here it is if you didn’t get around to reading it.
Thank you for reading today and every day :)
Ashley is a freelance writer based in Connecticut. She is currently working on a memoir about becoming Mom before she was ready. She has a lifestyle column in INK Publications, where she discusses the importance of mental health as it pertains to, well, everything.
You can subscribe to her newsletter here.
