Nice underwear can be good for your mental health
If there’s one thing we all need right now it's ways to manage our anxiety and feel better generally. With Australia dealing with ongoing state lockdowns and the Winter chill creeping in we were excited to read reports that the solution is simple – wear nice lingerie!
Yep, wearing nice underwear or lingerie can apparently boost our body confidence, our sexual confidence and our mental wellbeing by flooding our brain with endorphins. Endorphins act on the opiate receptors in our brains and are what make us feel so damn amazing after having sex. They can help alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, regulate moods and help you sleep better. But just like the anticipation of having sex can get those little critters moving us towards feelings of pleasure, doing something which makes us “feel sexy” can have the same effect. While we don’t think HCF will let you claim it on your health insurance it sounds a more fun alternative to seeing a therapist. So how exactly does it work?
The secret is how it makes you feel!
Working from home during lockdowns took its toll. There was no requirement to get out of our jammies or tracky daks, and in fact with Zoom you only needed to be work appropriate from the waist up. We didn’t always look our best and life sans bras was pretty standard.
Putting on a lovely set of lingerie first thing in the morning to me always felt like I was putting on my armour and preparing to go into battle. It made me feel empowered and sexy and feminine. And it doesn’t have to be stereotypically expensive or lacy or even sexy - whether it’s Wicked Weasel or Bonds – it’s whatever makes you feel sexy and confident.
Think of it as a form of self-care!
Too often women are so busy with careers, children, homes and partners that we forget to take time out for us. Good intentions of doing the daily Calm or Headspace meditation lasts a couple of days and then the routine gets interrupted for whatever reason and we selflessly discard our own self care to care for others. So if you can’t spend 10mins listening to Calm, can you spend 2mins to find a matching bra and knickers to show yourself you’re worth the time and effort?
Express your inner desires
Clothing is the outward display of our identity, or the identity we want or need to portray at the time – that of a mother or a business woman for example. Lingerie on the other hand allows us to express our inner desires free from judgement of others.
Shakaila Forbes-Bell, a fashion psychologist and founder of Fashion Is Psychology told HuffPost “Lingerie sets do not have to conform to such norms because they are for our eyes only, or for the eyes of our partners. This freedom can be therapeutic for the wearer as it allows them to wear sets in styles that are a true reflection of their creativity and personal tastes.”
Self-validation is a powerful emotion
Before covid we were used to feeling good about what we were wearing and getting compliments on our choices. But that workplace or social interaction has been reduced and even more so during lockdowns when masks are mandated and even lipstick no longer seems necessary.
Fashion Psychology Institute founder Dawnn Karen explains, “People used to dress up, go outside and get external validation from ‘Oh, you look nice!’ or ‘Love those shoes!’ But now there’s none of that, so they have to pivot and really dress for themselves, look for that internal validation.”
It's also a mood enhancer. I mean who doesn’t feel better when they slide their feet into a pair of stilettos or boots? Wearing nice lingerie is similar albeit we’re not announcing it to the world, just to ourselves.
There is something about doing something just for you! You don’t need a partner which was the historical reason to purchase sexy lingerie. I can remember a partner buying me a red lace bodysuit which was incredibly uncomfortable and not what I thought was “sexy”. From memory I wore it once and then it languished in a drawer.
So ask yourself what you like to wear. Not what your partner likes. Not what your external persona says you should be wearing. What makes you feel good about yourself? And whether that’s a six pack of Bonds boyleg hipsters in leopard print, a Victoria’s Secret crystal embedded lingerie set, a mesh bodysuit or a harness bra, go do some damage to your credit card. And if spending money on yourself isn’t realistic at the moment we understand, but do yourself a favour and find something hidden at the bottom of your drawer which you always loved but haven’t worn since 2019. Do it for you!
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