How Caring For Your Clothes Can Support Mental Health

May 14, 2021

Most of us can often feel overwhelmed by the relentless challenges of daily life, but finding mindful practices and hobbies is recognised as an effective way of relieving stress and improving mental health.

We believe that taking the time to give a little TLC to your wardrobe - whether that be by mending, washing or even decluttering - can encourage mindfulness, and reduce feelings of stress or anxiety. Moreover, it's important to spend time away from our phones and laptops every day. Social media may seem like an un-demanding activity but too much time on our smart devices can lead to sensory overload - and the internet can provide its own tidal wave of stresses!

This Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, we want to share with you our best tips for taking care of your clothing, so you too can relax, get creative, and have fun!

1. MENDING

Mending clothing is great for helping you achieve a feeling of accomplishment (plus it's the best way to elongate the longevity of your favourite garments)! Holding or even wearing something you’ve made yourself, with your hands, is an ineffably satisfying feeling. Feeling the rush of finishing something you're proud of has been proven to actually improve our immune systems, as well as helping our mental health. Furthermore, in studies of people with depression and other illnesses, textile crafts were found to increase self esteem and improve the sense of wellbeing.

The meditative actions of sewing or knitting can help you feel relaxed, and concentrating on one particular task allows you to become immersed in an activity, helping you to really unwind.

Well, mending your clothes will help you keep them for longer - and we're loving the current visible mending trend! Instead of hiding rips and tears, the visible mending movement turns them into art. Born from the Japanese art of sashiko, visible mending enables crafters to eschew fast fashion and make imperfections beautiful. Visible mending also means you we can add personality and individuality to our clothing, helping express ourselves!

Need help getting started with your mending? Check out our super simple online tutorials to get you going. If you're unsure on how to do this at home, you can request a quote from our team and they'll be happy to help.

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2. DECLUTTERING

We all have our own ways of tidying. For some, it’s a regular chore undertaken for a clean home or workspace. For others it’s something that is pushed aside until there’s no avoiding the task. However when you tidy, most of us have one thing in common: an awful lot of clothing.

Accumulating clothing is a very normal habit, but Researchers at UCLA’s Centre on Everyday Lives and Families have identified a direct link between clutter and Cortisol, a stress hormone.

Decluttering is less about tidying up and more about focusing on what really matters to you. The practice of choosing what stays and what goes encourages you to make active decisions about what belongs in your life, and focusing in on this can help tackle that overwhelmed feeling we sometimes feel when looking in our wardrobes. Organising our physical clutter may also be the first step to organising emotional clutter too!

Want more tips on the best ways to declutter your wardrobe? Find out how to start Spring cleaning below.

3. CARING FOR CLOTHES

clothes brush

Maintaining the look and feel of your clothing is satisfying at the very least, and the stimulating action of brushing down a jacket, for example, can act as a distraction from stress. Neuroscientists are even recognising the benefit of repetitive cognitive activities on helping the brain feel calm, so re-framing the idea of clothing care as something soothing may help you find that extra bit of down time. Why not have a go with our Natural Bristle Clothes Brush?

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Doing something repetitive with your hands that takes your brain away from its usual stresses is very beneficial. We recommend de-pilling your favourite jumper with our cashmere combs and see for yourself the satisfying results!

Start removing those bobbles ASAP with our Cashmere Combs.

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Taking care of your clothing, whether that be by mending, decluttering or even by washing clothes, is a simple way to keep your mind occupied, help soothe stress and encourage a sense of accomplishment in a job well done!

hand wash We hope that, using our top tips you'll be able to breathe new life to your favourite clothing, while helping relieve anxiety and improve overall mental health. Browse our full range to make laundry day a breeze.