…can take a lot more effort on some days than on others.
Choosing what to wear, taking off your pjs or whatever you’re already wearing, putting on the new items… that’s already a lot to do on a day when you’re struggling to do anything. Some days getting dressed is too much, so I’m going to suggest some tiny little steps you might be able to take towards this goal.
You may find that once you’ve read them you don’t actually need as much help as you thought and you can manage to get dressed and get on your way – great, well done!
You may find that you can only do a couple of these little steps, or maybe only one for now, and that’s ok too – you’ve still made some progress, however small! Wait for a bit, relax and regroup. Try to get a bit further a bit later if you can. Or accept that you’ve made a start but you might not manage to get dressed today. You still made some progress and on days like this – take that win!
And it might be that none of these help you today, in which case, I’m so sorry that you are having such a horrible day. I want to reassure you that I have been just as incapable at times. I know it’s horrendous. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But as I write this I am thinking of you, with deep empathy in my heart for you and the pain you are feeling right now. I hope you can feel even a tiny bit of that care as you read this. Please come back and try again tomorrow x
If you need urgent help, please use one of these links to get some support:
Samaritans if you are in the UK, or
International Mental Health Charities if you are elsewhere.
Moving towards getting dressed
- try thinking about what you feel like wearing
- try choosing an outfit you’ve worn (and felt comfortable in) before
- try gathering the clothes you’d like to wear so they are ready for you
- try changing just one item of clothing at a time eg just put some clean socks on first, then have a rest and congratulate yourself for getting that far, see if you can do another item a bit later on
- if thinking about what you’ll need to find is difficult, try using this list to help you:
- underwear (pants, possibly socks, possibly a bra);
- bottom half (shorts, trousers, leggings, joggers, or a skirt, possibly with tights);
- top half (vest top, t-shirt, shirt or a long-sleeved top, possibly a jumper or a cardigan)
- if deciding which clothes to choose is difficult, see if thinking about any of the following helps point you in the right direction:
- what is clean?
- what fits?
- what is comfortable?
- is there anything that makes you feel good when you wear it?
- will you need to leave the house?
- what is the weather like?
- if it’s hot try choosing shorts or lightweight trousers and a t-shirt or vest top;
- if it’s cold go for long trousers such as jeans or joggers and a long-sleeved top with a jumper or cardi on top;
- if you’re not sure whether it’s hot or cold try going for long trousers, a t-shirt and a jumper – layers will help you adjust later if you need to
Those are my ideas for now. Feel free to try one or more and let me know how it goes / whether it helped / what else I should add to this list in the comments.
It’s also really important to remember that it’s absolutely ok if you don’t manage to get dressed today. I doubt you’re on this page because you don’t actually know how to get dressed! But you are here because sometimes it’s really hard. Do what you can. Take your time. Give yourself that time. And remember, it’s ok to accept that it might be too much for you today – in which case, take care, and please come back and try again tomorrow x