5 Ways a Capsule Wardrobe Helps My Spoonie Life

If you live the #spoonielife, you know how hard the simple act of getting dressed can be. Trying to put together clothes that match and fit comfortably, especially if you have to go out on a flare day, can take way too much energy on a day when your energy is exceptionally low. For the past couple of months, I've been using a capsule wardrobe for all my work and going out clothes. I started this because trying to put together a business appropriate yet comfortable wardrobe often eludes me, especially before coffee in the mornings, but the benefits to my spoonie life were an expected perk.

5 Ways a Capsule Wardrobe Helps My Spoonie Life

1. Reduces Morning Mental Strain

I don't know anyone who wouldn't like one less thing to think about in the mornings, but chronically ill people really can use the extra assist in the AM. I have to go into the office 2 days a week (I work from home the other days) and in the past I would spend 20 minutes just staring at my closets, overflowing hampers of folded clothes, and stuffed dresser drawers wondering what to wear and if my clothes would fit over my belly if it decided to swell unexpectedly midmorning. Now that I have a set amount of clothes in one small closet, I no longer wonder what I'm going to wear. If I do find myself trying to figure out if that sweater matches that dress, I have a cheat sheet of outfits down to the shoes and based on weather saved on my phone for easy reference (and yes, I refer to this list every day).

2. Almost Everything is Flare Day and Endo Belly Friendly

Because endo belly and flares can happen at any time of the day or night, I have to plan my outfits accordingly. If it's a day in my cycle that is low risk for a flare, I'll tempt fate with wearing jeans. But generally my go-to outfit is a combo of leggings, flowy dress, and sweater as I can conceal any swelling and the stretchy fabric won't cut into my skin. Because I'm always cold, I have lined leggings and tights, knit leg warmers, scarves, and a stack of undershirts that I can layer to stay cozy and warm. And because I'm prone to hives, everything is soft and if something is the least bit scratchy in the skin, it gets donated.

3. Less Clothes Equals Less Laundry Equals Less Energy Expended

I think this is pretty self-explanatory but the less clothes I have in rotation, the less clothes I have to wash. If I'm not separating my laundry, I could wash the whole capsule in one load. And when you live with limited energy to expend, having less laundry to wash, dry, fold/hang and put away is key. 

4. Separate Work and Home Wardrobes

I don't know if it's common to have a separate work and home wardrobe, but I have one. My home capsule includes more leggings and stretchy pants, graphic tees, house dresses, and Dad sweaters. Basically I am super comfy but can still go run errands at a moment's notice. I may not always look 100% put together at home (such as black leggings, purple graphic tee, burgundy dad sweater, and fuzzy socks) but I'm not embarrassed to answer the door either. Prior to implementing my capsules, I spent 99% of my time at home in the same PJs I slept in. I always looked like I was rolling out of or into bed. Now I tend to look like I'm about to head to a yoga class or to get coffee.

5. Everything Makes Me Happy

Before I set up my capsules, I had a ton of clothes I held on to for various reasons, most of which have now been donated and the rest I'm working my way to through my decluttering. Now everything I wear makes me feel happy, beautiful or adorable, and comfortable. Because I took one afternoon to pull together my favorite clothes, I never feel frumpy or ugly. I love wearing colorful outfits, but before I would be so overwhelmed by my clothes that I opted for all black and gray. Now I use black as a base color but wear tans, browns, creams, pinks, burgundies, and occasional pastels. Plus, even though I did buy a couple extra items (lined leggings and tights in gray and cream), I didn't have to. I already had plenty of pretty and comfortable clothes, I just had to find them! By wearing things that make me happy, my mental health and self-image have improved, which makes physically rough days easier to tackle.

There are dozens of reasons why capsule wardrobes are awesome and I could go on but these 5 are all ways having a capsule wardrobe help my spoonie life.

Until next time my lovelies!

-M

Check out more Endometriosis posts or Home Life posts like this.

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