Walking Into The New Year

Walking Into The New Year

Walking into the new year with our affirmations in one hand and motivation in the other, we are ready to take on all the goals. After the past couple years, we owe it to ourselves to be healthy and happy. We are going to take back our confidence, walk the walk and talk the talk. Dressing trendy to top off the overall ambiance we are carrying into 2022.

But what if this year could be so much more than that? What if we pressed into learning to love and dress our skin exactly as it is? What does that even look like you ask? To be honest, I'm not sure I can answer that question for you. What I can do is give ideas that hopefully help you feel seen and vaildated in your own journey. That is the beautiful part though, it is yours.

From March of 2020 to the beginning of 2022 we have been so incredibly plugged in to online communities. More in touch with the extended world around us than I feel I ever remember before. If you are anything like myself, this was such an incredible gift to have while navigating (and still navigating) so much uncertainty. And while this gift was absolutely what most of us needed during this season, it caused a lot of insecurities as well. Never have we seen our own faces as much as we do now reflected back in the small box on the corner of the screen while chatting with family or creating content on feeds.

Fashion can be such a beautiful expression of who we are through the seasons of our lives. It makes us unique and can give a voice to the sometimes voiceless part of ourselves that we want to shove down. It can help us be loud and seen when we want connection. It can fill us with a feeling of comfort when home feels far away.

How we dress is powerful. How we speak over our bodies is even more powerful. Maybe you have moments where you love your body and when it changes, your inner voice turns mean and hateful, willing it back into what it once was. But here is a secret.... our bodies were never meant to stay the same. They weren't. They will change and rightfully so. Your body has lived through a lot.

In my full time career, as a mental health therapist this topic comes up frequently. This is what I have learned to be true:

1) We can't change something if we aren't aware it's happening. Once we are aware of a pattern or expectation that is harmful, we can start taking steps towards changing it.

2) Your inner voice is strong, but your outer voice is stronger. There is some cool research out there that talks about how our brains are like highways, and the more you 'drive' certain roads, the more defined those roads become. Word by word, as you speak compassion over yourself, this can become the stronger road.

3) Fashion is a wonderful way of expression, not self punishment. Be gentle with yourself and your body as it is growing and changing too. Use your style to dress comfy or hide your curves if that is what feels good that day. Show your body off or wear loud patterns the very same day if you change your mind! It's your body... you get to choose what feels best for it that day.

So as we walk into this new year, I hope you find moments where you can be kind to your body and be patient as it's growing through the seasons of life with you. I hope you find clothes that are trendy and comfortable and cute and whatever else feels right to dress your body in. I hope you know that it's okay to go through phases of feeling great in your skin and struggling to feel at home in that same skin. I hope you crush all of your goals for this new year! And more than anything, I hope you know that you are not alone in the journey of learning to love your body. The ladies at Therapie are always here to help you find what feels the most you and build you up. Sending all the love in this new year <3

 
This blog entry was lovingly written by our very own Ashley Niemann.
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