Okay, friend, I know you may be thinking, “I totally DON’T care what I look like on the daily! The only people who ever see me are my kids!… And maybe the mailman.” But let me just tell you, there are so many reasons why getting dressed IS worth the effort. How you show up to your kids and others around you absolutely DOES matter!
A Learning Moment
About a dozen years ago, I coached the high school cheerleading squad. One day, one of my girls showed up to practice looking like she was ready for a photo shoot: cute dress, hair curled, full makeup, tasteful jewelry. I asked her why she was so fancy. And I’ll never forget her reply: “Ms. Jennifer, I had a big math test today. I always dress up for tests because I know if I LOOK better, I’ll DO better.” I stood there in my red-orange velour track suit (those were the days!) and dirty mom ponytail, and I knew that she was 100% right.
Now, it is no secret that being a mom is hard work. It is an incredibly demanding job – no matter the ages and stages of our kids. We deal with more bodily fluids than an emergency room on a slow night. We clean up LEGO after LEGO after LEGO. We’re often responsible to feed our family three meals a day – and that demand never stops! We could fold laundry in our sleep, if we ever got some!
I am NOT saying that we need to dress to the nines everyday. Not at all. What I AM saying is that a little bit of effort can go a L O N G way.
And so, I present to you 7 reasons why getting dressed is worth the effort:
1. Motherhood IS a profession.
First, I’m pretty sure it’s highly unlikely that any of us would arrive to a corporate job in our pajamas, right?
We’ve all heard women say, “I’m just a mom.” We will in a culture where motherhood is often demeaned. We receive the message that raising children is not a significant contribution to the world. Stay-at-home moms in particular are often treated as less capable and less educated than others in the workplace.
It is just too easy to believe this lie. Motherhood IS a career of great importance. The opportunity we have to influence young minds and teach values to our children can have an incredible impact on society for generations. I love what Harold B. Lee said, “The greatest work we will ever do will be within the walls of our own home.” AMEN!
What if mothers began to view motherhood as a legit profession that we have CHOSEN? How would that effect the way we show up each day? I think it might.
Every morning, I visualize myself approaching my kids, our homeschool and our daily activities as if I am a professional mom. Give it a try, my friend. Your professional motherhood will become a great reason why getting dressed is worth the effort.
2. Caring about our appearance is a sign of self respect.
This is true for anyone. Taking the time to brush our hair, put on some real clothes or a touch of makeup tells the world that we care enough about ourselves to show up as a respectable human being. And maybe more importantly, we send the same message to ourselves! Mama, you deserve to see yourself as a person worthy of a 10-minute shower, real clothes and a 5-minute makeup routine.
You may be thinking, “Okay, Jen. And WHEN will I find the time for this?” First, it’s not about FINDING the time; it’s about MAKING the time. With that in mind, I make the time to get ready everyday by waking up before my kids. (You can do it too, mama! Find out how by checking out this post: Insider Secrets to Waking Up Before Your Kids.)
And because I’m all about keeping it real, there are definitely days when I do get caught up in blogging, cleaning, or social media and don’t hop in the shower before my kids are awake. So, I set them all down with something educational (mostly) to watch for 30 minutes. And you know what? I feel just fine about that. Why? Because I know that getting dressed is worth the effort.
3. Getting dressed determines the respect we receive from others.
Sure, it’s not always fair. But think about this for a moment: How much respect would you feel for a doctor or a school principal who showed up to work unshowered and disheveled?
I often hear moms say, “My kids just don’t respect me.” Well, mama, let’s start giving our kids something to respect by getting dressed in real clothes everyday. Trust me, your kids DO notice.
I’ll never forget the day years ago when we we’re having lunch and my 6-year-old boy said, “Wow, mom, you look really great in your jammies.” He knew I’d been having a bad day, and I knew he meant to make me feel better. But realizing that he recognized I was still in my PJs at noon made me feel like I was six inches tall.
Do you want to receive more respect at the grocery store, your kid’s school or the doctor’s office? Try pulling on a decent outfit and just see how the world begins to respond to you. I think you’ll find that getting dressed is totally worth the effort, my friend!
4. Getting dressed in casual, put-together clothes affects our mental functioning.
According to this article, psychologists found that we tend to think more concretely and are more willing to make decisions when we are dressed in casual, put-together clothes.
Y’ALL. What we wear had a direct impact on our mental functioning! This simple fact is a huge reason why all moms need to get dressed everyday. What mom couldn’t benefit from the ability to make better decisions and feel better about herself each day?
If you’re like me, you’ve spent lots of days in the middle of a mom fog – where making any decision from what to do about the broken light fixture to what we should make for lunch seems overwhelming. Staying in our pajamas is a perfect way to stay in that fog, my friend!
Even if it’s the middle of the day, and you haven’t gotten ready because the baby woke up early, hop in the shower right after you put him down for a nap. You will feel so much more refreshed by a shower and clean clothes than you will by scrolling through social media! Believe me, I know.
In this study, researcher Karen Pine found that something as simple as wearing a Superman t-shirt made kids feel stronger than those who were just wearing a plain t-shirt. I think it’s safe to say that what we wear has an impact on our emotional health as well.
5. When we look put together, we become more productive.
Could you imagine Marie Kondo hosting Tidying Up in her PJs? It just makes sense that the energy we create by getting dressed will funnel itself into how we organize and take care of our surroundings. How many of us would love a clutter-free home? Um … me, please!
It is true that we create surroundings to reflect our emotions and inner thoughts. I’ve always been an organized person, but I haven’t been a clutter-free person. That didn’t happen for me until I got serious about how I show up everyday. Order brings order.
As we become more organized, we are able to become more productive. This is why I’m such a huge fan of capsule wardrobes for moms – it increases my productivity daily. A capsule wardrobe is simply a curated collection of clothes that coordinate with each other. I spend almost zero time and mental energy trying to decide what to wear each morning!
(I will be launching an online course called The Capsule Wardrobe Collaboration in early 2020! It will teach moms how to curate their own personalized capsule wardrobe. I can’t wait!)
6. Getting dressed is a self-esteem boost.
This goes straight back to my cheerleader from years ago. She knew that if she felt better about her appearance, she’d have the confidence to do better on her math test. So many mamas I know struggle with feeling confident. We are plagued by self-doubt, mom guilt, FOMO, comparison, you name it.
I’m not a huge proponent of the “fake it till you make it” idea. But I do believe that how we present ourselves on the outside definitely influences how we feel on the inside.
There were lots of years that I didn’t make getting ready everyday a priority. I vividly recall how much I disliked walking past the mirrors in my house on those days that I stayed in my pajamas. I’d launch into negative self-talk, and then reflect that negativity onto my kids or my husband in moments of stress or frustration. Just being able to look in the mirror and say, “You look nice today. Good job!” has honestly been a game changer for my mental health. I have learned over and over that getting dressed is worth the effort.
7. Honoring my body honors my Creator.
Finally, have you ever made a gift for someone? You feel a sense of excitement to give that gift, even though you know it may not be perfect – there may be a tiny stitch out of place or a letter slightly misshapen. But you give the gift because you want to do something special for your friend. How would you feel if you saw her use your gift regularly and take good care of it? How would you feel if the opposite was true? What if she let your gift fall into disrepair?
I’m a woman of faith, and I believe that we honor our bodies when get dressed and look put together. As we take the time to get dressed everyday, we show our Creator that we are grateful for the gift of our bodies. We don’t have to be runway supermodels, friends. We don’t have to be a size 2. Just start honoring the gift of your body by starting this habit today. You will soon see that getting dressed is worth the effort!
Now, if you find yourself standing in front of an overcrowded closet and feeling frustrated, I’ve got you covered. I created this FREE mini-class that will teach you how to declutter your closet in an afternoon! Once that closet is decluttered, it will be so much easier to get dressed everyday.
Please let me know whether or not you think getting dressed is worth the effort!
