10 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back

 

Dear friends. We've had 18 months of lock down followed by a seemingly endless string of shortages and price hikes.  It's not surprising that many of us have still to regain our mojo. We're still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels of socialising.  

Clothing brand Joe Browns recently carried out a survey to find out how people are feeling about their wardrobe confidence post lockdown. With over 13,000 responses, they found that 47% of people avoid wearing what they would like due to a lack of body confidence.  

With that in mind, here are 10 tips on how to get your mojo back.  One thing I've avoided is mentioning the need for a good diet, exercise and sleep.  We all know that's commonsense. But sometimes, when you're confused and low, the last thing you need is a reminder that you should be eating broccoli and doing 10,000 steps a day.

So my 10 tips are all about being kind to yourself. 

 1. Start with a pamper day

Try not to do any cooking or cleaning today.  Enjoy a relaxing bath and slather on a face pack and hair treatment.  Give yourself a pedicure.  Spend the rest of the day watching films you love, or reading.

2. Shapewear is your friend

Danni Minogue recently named shapewear as her wardrobe's best friend on the Susannah Constantine "My Wardrobe Malfunction" podcast.  I would agree - find the right pieces and every outfit will look better.  Gwyneth Paltrow said once that she wears double Spanx! What's stopping you?  See my post on shapewear.

3. Sort out your wardrobe

This is strangely rewarding. Set aside clothes you haven’t worn for more than a year and donate them to charity.  Then create some combinations that suit your lifestyle, which may have changed since lockdown. 

4. Add some sass to your combinations

Experiment with colourful belts, brooches, scarves, hats,  and coloured or patterned tights.  

5. Resolve to look good every day, even if you’re home on your own

Apply make-up, a spritz of perfume, and you’ll feel more confident and cheerful.

6. Give yourself a regular reward to mark the end of a long week

How about a bunch of flowers, a glass of wine, a trip to the cinema, fish and chips for supper, a nail polish, a magazine? 

7. Go for a walk when you can fit one in, even if it's just 10 minutes

Watch the changes of the seasons and take photos of the different light conditions. You’ll soon become addicted. And although it doesn’t seem like exercise, there’s plenty of evidence to say that walking even small distances does us good.

8. What did you enjoy when you were a child?

Relive those childhood pleasures:  blowing bubbles, stamping through autumn leaves or puddles, playing conkers. 

 9. Be proactive about making new friends

Try apps like Bumble BFF to find like-minded women, or find out how active MeetUp is in your area.  If you’d like to walk with others, join the #Walk1000Miles group on Facebook, or the Ramblers Association.

10. If your job is no longer sparking your potential, spend some time reviewing why. 

Write down what used to make you feel valued and successful, and why it’s no longer happening for you.  Have an open discussion with your manager on your aspirations. What changes can you agree together?  If you decide enough is enough, it's actually a good time to be looking for a job. 

There's nothing I haven't tried myself 

Reader, I do all of these things.  Sunday is usually my pamper day.  Mr Mutton goes off for a long run, rain or shine, and I have the house to myself for a luxurious bath and face pack. On Fridays, I have what's usually my only alcohol of the week, a glass of sherry (!) but boy do I look forward to that milestone.

As I wrote here, I felt very pleased after sorting out my wardrobe a few weeks ago, and I love arranging clothes by colour so that I can find instant combinations to grab.  

As far as making friends go,  which I wrote about here,  I gave Bumble BFF a try. The women who were looking for new BFFs looked wonderful and I knew I would have fun with them, but somehow I chickened out.  I couldn't face the "hi how are you?" online chats.  But I am back with MeetUp, and in fact did a guided walk of secret London yesterday, with a lunch at Marcus Wareing's restaurant later this month.  (My sabbatical month is underway!). 

I enjoy blowing bubbles and stamping in puddles! 

Today's Outfit

Joe Browns very kindly gifted me the dress and coat in return for writing a blog post about regaining our confidence.  Check out their tips on the power of dressing with confidence coach Jo Emerson. 

I'm wearing the Virtuous Velvet Coat, as seen in this post, and the Check it Out dress. The dress hangs beautifully and doesn't cling to any lumps or bumps. I love the asymmetric hem. Plaid/tartan is a big fashion trend right now and I like the red combination.  I'll be wearing this for my birthday lunch in a few days' time.

I added black lacy tights, a silver infinity scarf and my beloved red and black boots from Lotus, a few years old, and with the coat,  current lace-up vegan brogues from Marks and Spencer. 

What tips do you have for feeling more confident when you've been down?  Do share in the comments.

Now it's time for #WowOnWednesday - the link-up where readers find new blogs to read, and bloggers find new readers. 

Last Week's Favourites - Most Clicked

Wide legged pants and a slouchy jumper from Sydney blogger Anna Marcus at Looking Fabulous @ 50.

Ageless Style- Cozy Cardigans from Amy's Creative Pursuits

Is This Mutton Favourite

Velvet with the Thrifty Six at Graceful Rags.  Grace found this wonderfully stylish and unusual dress in a charity shop.  It looks as if it were made to measure - a real show-stopper. As so often happens, Grace wasn't immediately taken with the dress. But once she tried it on, she was in love.  It's a good message to all of us.