Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are working from home— which may mean that comfort wins out over getting dressed in your best clothes because no one can see them on a Zoom call.
But that may not be the best move to make, because it can lead to issues like poor diet, less activity and less of a positive attitude, Jennifer Musselman, a psychotherapist in California, said in an interview with Refinery 29.
“Staying stuck in your pajamas day after day sets your mood,” Musselman said. “It literally keeps you stuck.”
You don’t have to get dressed in uncomfortable clothes to feel better, though— you just have to get ready, with a shower and dressing in clean clothes. If you’re so inclined, putting on makeup can boost your mood too.
Benefits of dressing for working from home
1. It creates a routine, and people feel comfortable and safe with routines.
The act of getting ready for the day can help you feel a bit more normal during these not-so-normal times. It creates routine in uncertain times, and that can make working from home easier.
“A lot of what people are experiencing right now is a disruption of their routine,” De’Von Patterson, a psychologist at Baptist Behavioral Health, told the Huffington Post. “When you don’t know what’s coming next, that can be a challenging thing for some people, so a lot of it is about having some semblance of what your day and week looks like. Knowing what’s coming next can be comforting.”
2. You have more opportunity to experiment with your normal style.
If you’ve been feeling that your look is a little stale, working from home offers the opportunity to try something new without the pressure of your colleagues and the public seeing you. Take one piece of clothing that you love and build a unique new outfit out of that, stylist Brandon Tan said in an interview with Refinery 29.
“Try new outfits you normally wouldn’t wear (no one will see anyway!); be silly, be bold,” he said. “Make it fun for yourself and something to look forward to.”
3. It helps you to get ready for different activities and parts of the day.
For some people, getting dressed is a way to move the day along and to prepare for different activities. When there’s no getting dressed, the day can drag on— or you can lose track of time more easily. Some; like Matt Caldecutt; a 42-year-old resident of Queens, New York; see changing their clothes as marking the different times of day. In an interview with NBC News he noted that he’ll dress to go for a jog; then come home and get ready for work in a button-front shirt, jeans and socks. After work, he changes into a t-shirt and jeans.
“I think it’s important to try and keep as much of your daily ritual intact to basically continue to function and do your job as if something hasn’t really changed, even though so much has,” he told NBC.
