Mood Dressing

Did you know that you can decide in advance how you will feel on any given day? And that it’s possible to carry that feeling with you all day long regardless of your calendar commitments, unforeseen circumstances, or lengthy “to-do lists? I like to call this concept Mood Dressing- it’s fun and it works. I’ll meet you in your closet where it all goes down.

Before we jump in to the notion of Mood Dressing, we need to acknowledge that we already do this. If you woke up on a Wednesday feeling tired and a bit monotonous, then throwing on that same pair of black pants and trusty old sweater as you head out the door proves my point. You were probably feeling a bit mundane about the day ahead and you chose your outfit accordingly.  The problem with this is that you dressed for the mood you were in at 5:45am and probably did so unconsciously. Your highest self wasn’t thinking about that important department meeting where you will, no doubt, be asked to share your opinions on the presentation your team is submitting to management when you got yourself dressed and out the door this morning.

In all of our defenses, we wouldn’t consciously choose to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or frustrated on purpose. However, we can consciously choose to feel the opposite. I do this all the time. It’s like a game to me. When it’s time to head into my closet and get ready in the morning, I love to take a moment and ask myself how I want to feel that day. Confident, successful, sophisticated, “on-the-go”? It’s all in my closet. I just have to find a garment that makes me feel that way when I wear it, pull it off the hanger, and put it on.

Yet, often times as we wake in the morning, our minds are instantly off and running. We try to give ourselves a few peaceful minutes before we begin our day, but just as we are getting ourselves out of bed, our minds begin to race with all of the things we have to get done.  There may be meetings, commitments, and family obligations. It may be a running to-do list including picking up dinner ingredients and finishing chores. We’ve hardly been up long enough to finish that first cup of coffee and our thoughts are already running in the direction of the proverbial finish line with the ultimate goal of having everything checked off our lists so we can FEEL a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

What if we chose to feel accomplished before we even got dressed and then chose an outfit that made us feel accomplished? Your outfit won’t speak at the meeting for you but the mood you bring into the meeting will. Take a few minutes to decide in advance how you will feel and then choose an outfit that represents that mood. It becomes an all-day reminder that we have fixed our mindset and dressed for it.

When we let our circumstances dictate how we feel, our moods can shift based on what we are experiencing, whether we like it or not.  However, in the privacy of our own closet, we can choose our moods on purpose which results in facing the day ahead with an intentional feeling that matches our chosen mood. What if our circumstances had nothing to do with it?  

So, what do you want to feel today? Have a work presentation? Maybe you want to feel confident and respected. Have a job interview? Perhaps you’ll choose successful or smart. What about date night? You may decide to select elegant or sophisticated. Day at home with the kids? You’ll likely choose comfort or warmth. It’s what I call Mood Dressing. It’s available to you if you give yourself a few minutes to decide in your closet and put it on. Then, you need to wear the mood and the outfit on purpose.

Give this a try; you won’t regret it. Parting quote: “I am so annoyed that I was in such a great mood today. I wish I hadn’t felt so good all day long.”, said nobody ever. Cheers to tomorrow’s great mood!