What you wear can change your psychological processes

The confidence we feel when we put on a new outfit is evidence enough that what we wear can be easily linked to what we feel.  High heels can make a woman feel more powerful,  a blazer can make us feel more influential and a red dress - more seductive!

Just how is it that our clothing can act on the way we feel?  A study by Adam and Galinsky (2012) examined the effect of clothing on our psychological processes. 
The study found that wearing certain pieces of clothing could change our cognitive processes and enhance performance on tasks.  

The experiment began with examining the effects of wearing a lab coat.  The researchers state: 
"A pretest found that a lab coat is generally associated with attentiveness and carefulness. We therefore predicted that wearing a lab coat would increase performance on attention-related tasks. In Experiment 1, physically wearing a lab coat increased selective attention compared to not wearing a lab coat."

The second phase of the experiment examined people who beleived they were wearing a white coat described as a doctor's coat, vs people wearing a white coat described as a painter's coat.  Low and behold, the group wearing the coat described as a doctor's coat showed increased sustained attention on a task, compared to the "painter's coat" group.  

The authors conclude that the effects of the study were associated with both the symbolic meaning of the clothing, as well as the physical experience of wearing the clothes.  

With this in mind, choose your outfit carefully!  It just may affect how your think, how you perform and even what you do!!!

Here's some inspiration!

Miranda Kerr, wearing Equipment Blouse

Julianne Hough, wearing Rag and Bone Newbury Booties

Not sure about the jacket, but my pick is this Anine Bing Leather Jacket

Rachel Bilson rocking a fedora - my pick, Rag and Bone

I just found an article called "The Psychology of Lululemon" which discusses the idea that we may be more likely to engage in exercise if we look the part, and may be perceived as more confident at it by others!  Does anyone agree?  I for one, do feel more motivated to go to the gym when I have some stylish workout gear....whilst this sounds superficial, it gets me in the door, and is more likely to keep me coming back!  
What are your thoughts?

Start the day on a positive note

Sick of waking up to another day of drudgery?  Work, cook, clean, gym, sleep, repeat...again!

A friend of mine suggested this simple strategy to put a positive start on the day - when you're getting ready in the morning, look in mirror and reflect on three things you're grateful for.  

What are you grateful for?  Have you tried this simple trick?  

Today I'm grateful for... my wonderful husband, Summer weather and the second cappuccino I'm about to drink....

Photo by Raelene Baget - RnR Productions

Supercharge your life!!

Do you have big dreams but never seem to have the time to make a start on them? Are you stuck in a (somewhat comfortable) rut?

Looking to advance in your career, start your own business or develop a skill?

Follow these simple steps to get off the couch and start reaching for your goals.

Charlotte Dawson - the dangers of depression

Australian's are shocked at the loss of TV personality Charlotte Dawson who took her own life yesterday.  On the outside we see someone who is beautiful, famous, successful, and we wonder how someone with all of those things could feel such a deep unhappiness inside.
This goes to show, no matter what you have, or what your achievements, depression is a real and crushing illness, and needs to be taken seriously.  

Dawson had a history of depression and anxiety, which she frequently commented about publicly on her twitter account. 
In 2012, Dawson was publicly bullied online by "Twitter Trolls", leading to a suicide attempt. Following this, according to SMH, Dawson went on to publicly advocate anti-bullying.  Nonetheless, for such callous individuals to feel they have the right to speak to another human being (online, or offline!) in such a horrible, bullying manner, absolutely disgusts me.  

For anyone thinking about making in inappropriate, rude or unfair comment, to anyone - friend, enemy, celebrity, online or offline - you need to stop and think.  The potential impact of your comment could be huge.  We've seen first hand with the sad loss of Charlotte Dawson, that such wounds are far more than skin deep.  People are people - celebrities or not - everyone has a story, a background, a personality and their own sensitivities and fears - many people in fact also suffer from mental illness.    

According to Beyond Blue, "Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In Australia, it is estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety." 

Are you suffering from depression and anxiety, and looking for help?
In Australia, you can access free 24/7 telephone counselling:
Lifeline - 13 11 13 
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

You can also access up to 10 sessions with a psychologist per year, through Medicare - you simply need your GP to make a referral for you.  Your GP can also give you advice on managing depression and anxiety.   Don't be afraid to speak up!

There is currently a petition through change.org to support tougher legislation for cyber bullying.  If you would like to support this petition, please click HERE.

Sleep better

Having trouble sleeping?  It could be time to redecorate your bedroom.  Soft textiles, low lighting and minimal, clutter free furnishings can help in increasing your quality zzz time.  

Here are a few of my favourite inspirations....

Taken from A Cup of Jo - Bedroom makeover

Taken from apartment therapy - Alison Hotchkiss Sanfrancisco apartment

taken from Elle Decor

Taken from Apartment Therapy - Lauren and Kevin's Chicago Apartment

Make sure you consider the following factors:

• Temperature - could you be too hot at night time - this may prevent you from falling asleep.  Is there adequate airflow coming in?  
• Light - do you have thick curtains or blinds that can block out light from other houses/apartments/street lights
• Colour - choose a peaceful, sleep inducing colour scheme - try neutral walls, or even dark moody wall paint for something different

Sleep well!

Is your sleep pattern leaving you feeling exhausted during the day?

Try these simple tips to get a better night's sleep!!!

1)  Make your bedroom dark.  Consider using curtains with a thick backing, or installing blinds or shutters.  Light coming in from street lights, other houses and apartments can play havoc with your sleeping patterns.  Artificial light can mess with our Melatonin levels (the chemical that helps us sleep!) and confuse our biological clocks.

2)  Keep the temperature cool.  If you are too warm (or too cold) you will have trouble sleeping.  A slight drop in body temperature facilitates sleep.  Avoid excessive layers or using heating if it isn't necessary.

3)  Eliminate electronic devices such as televisions and computers.   Avoid falling asleep with the television or radio on.  Get rid of devices with bright lights and alarm clocks with LED lighting.

4)  In the hour before you go to bed, avoid overly stimulating activities - try and minimise television and computer use as this will stimulate your brain making you feel more awake.  Try quiet activities such as reading instead.  Try dimming the lighting in your house/apartment in the hour before bedtime, to reduce artificial light and to signify to your body that sleep time in near.

5)  Avoid stressful activities before bed!! Just before bedtime is not the time to reply to emails, finish assignments or homework or engage in a discussion about finances!  Avoid discussing potentially stressful topics before bed as this is likely to leave you tossing and turning.  Keep stressful discussions for the morning when you're at your full alert level and have the resources to engage in problem solving.

6)  Establish a "before sleep" routine.  By performing a routine before bed each night, your mind will begin to associate this routine with sleep.  For example, this might be having a cup of herbal tea, putting on your pyjamas, reading for 20 minutes, washing your face, brushing your teeth, dimming the lights etc.  Establish a "bed time" and waking time.  If you go to sleep at 10:30pm every night and wake up at 6:30am every morning, your body will become used to this sleep pattern.

7)  Reduce caffeine from the afternoon.  Avoid coffee, black tea and cola after about 3pm as these stimulants may affect your ability to get to sleep at night.

8)  Reflect on your alcohol use.  Excessive drinking can disrupt your sleep patterns.  Whilst alcohol can make you feel tired, it produces both stimulant and depressive effects.  If you're drinking on a nightly basis, considering having alcohol free nights during the week.

9)  Ensure you have exposure to natural light during the daytime.  Exposure to natural light during the day ceases the production of melatonin, a chemical produced by the body which facilitates sleep.  During the darkness, the body then produces melatonin which causes drowsiness and sleep.

10)  Keep the bedroom for sleep and sex only.  Avoid other activities such as working in bed, doing homework in bed, watching tv, studying etc for other rooms.  Otherwise you may begin to associate bed with work/stress etc!!

11)  Keep your bedroom clean and free of clutter and distractions.  Take the time to create a peaceful and serene environment that facilitates rest.  Try decordating with soft textiles, warm blankets, lots of cushions and scented candles!!

Valentines Day Blues?

Some of us despise valentines day, some of us love it... whether you're sitting at home watching Bridget Jones and eating a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's or you're out on a romantic date, why not change your perspective this valentines day and pay it forward with a gift to a friend or family member.  

If you happened to read my post on learning to spend more wisely, you'll recall that spending money on others can increase your satisfaction, more so than purchasing items for yourself!!

Why not make someone else's day on Valentines Day?  

This valentines day, we had a "secret valentine" at work - we drew names from a hat to exchange gifts amongst staff members (much like secret santa or Kris Kringle).  

I decided to make these Donna Hay Vanilla Snap Cookies, with a love theme!!!  These cookies taste fantastic and are really easy to make!  They're perfect for cutting into all sorts of fun shapes.

 I packed them up into a cute jar with some ribbon to turn them into a cost effective gift, made with love!

I hope my secret valentine enjoys their surprise!

Gifts don't have to be expensive to make someone's day....as a bonus, there's leftover cookies at home too!!