If you are not feeling well it is so easy to stay inside, in your pyamas, hanging on the couch or even stay in bed. Some will walk around in sweatpants and a shirt.
This is not a good idea and it enhances the feeling that your are worthless.
Did you know that feeling worthless and being not presentable to the outside world enhances pain?
The overall feeling of disgust for your own body, depression because your body hurts and cannot perform the way you expect. The fatigue because of the pain that you constantly feel (pain costs a lot of energy), because of the lack of sleep. The misery you are in. The feeling of loneliness and abandonment because people don’t understand what you are going through and do not visit often enough. The solitude because you cannot go out anyway due to physical pain and restrictions.
Why should you get dressed at all?
This is a very negative perpetual cycle that tends to increase the negative feeling about yourself.
I noticed this immediately after my beloved cat died in a road accident last week. I am in mourning and that is okay. Part of the process. But I need to watch myself more closely because of the years of chronic pain and the ‘chronic pain habits’ that still lay dormant in my brains.
Feeling sad and crying is okay. But walking around in sweatpants, watching tv, hanging on the couch, not answering the phone and thinking: “What the hell…..” That is not a good habit. But it is there like the craving of an addict.
So to get out of my negative cycle I do the same I did when I suffered from chronic pain.
Get yourself dressed up!
Every day. When you get up, get dressed. No matter how difficult it is to put jeans on, no matter how long it takes. If you can, put on some make up. Make yourself beautiful and presentable.
Even if you don’t see anyone at all and you are home alone all day. Do it for yourself: it will make you feel better about yourself. And also go outside. Even if you cannot walk properly or if it hurts. You don’t need to run the marathon. Just go outside and breath in some fresh air.
Walk to the mailbox. Say hi with a smile to anyone or anything (It’s a beautiful day, I feel good, I feel right and no-ones going to stop me now. Oh yeah. From Queen).
The benefits of getting dressed:
- It will make you feel better about yourself.
- It is a clear difference between day (activity) and night (resting/sleeping).
- It makes you presentable so you can go outside and do not need to hide.
- It gives you purpose (after all when you go to work, you need to get dressed to be presentable).
- It is a good exercise for your body.
- It breaks the perpetual cycle that became your chronic pain habit.
- It is important to look good (even if you feel bad)!
- Because you are worth it!