The first question really is what is this thing called dopamine dressing?! Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter and hormone that acts on areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. It’s often called the “happy hormone” and is associated with overall feelings of well-being.
Low levels of dopamine lead to lack of motivation, tiredness, low concentration, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and other rather depressing things. The advice to increase levels of dopamine is to get sufficient sleep, eat healthily, exercise, practise mindfulness, minimise stress and take part in activities that give you pleasure, as anything that gives you pleasure will trigger the release of dopamine and make you want to experience those activities again. This can be anything from dancing, cooking, painting, playing music and cue the reason for this article, clothes!
Dopamine dressing is finding enjoyment in the things you choose to wear. When you are intentional in considering what you put on your body in a conscious effort to increase your feelings of positivity and well-being.
Have you ever put on a dress, a jumper, a pair of shoes, or even a well-fitting T-shirt, and had that “YES!” feeling? It’s that magic that happens when you immediately connect with a garment, when you know that thing is “you” and you feel comfortable and confident in it? Right there is that rush of dopamine that produces happy feelings all round!
This feeling doesn’t just come out of nowhere - there are reasons for that connection and pleasure, and they are almost always to do with how much that garment, shoe or accessory reflects the authentic you. This all sounds great doesn’t it, but how do you know what reflects the authentic you? It might come as a relief to you that it’s not just guesswork - the right knowledge about your colours and style is a fundamental starting point and there is a way to learn this information so that you can be equipped to get happy about everything you place on your body and invest money in!
COLOUR
You might hear people say that “a bold colour” elevates their mood. But to really maximise on this, it needs to be the right bold colour, not just any random one. If you’re going to wear bold colours, the best way to produce feelings of well-being from them is to make sure that they are your colours - they need to serve you the best they possibly can. You might have heard of the seasonal colour palettes Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter - each season has pretty much a version of every colour (except black which is only in Winter) and wearing the colours that enhance your skin undertone is the way to make you feel your best - even on non make-up days! Then you can be fully informed about the colours that you are placing on your body - if you want a calming blue, make sure it’s the right shade and tone of blue - if you want a striking red, make sure it’s the right red for you. Colour analysis was a hit in the ‘80s and is now taking the world by storm again…because it works! And when you get it right, wearing colours that you know suit you, that feeling of pleasure will be sky high.
(Just a note about colour analysis - there’s loads around about this at the moment, on social media and there are tons of services that purport to achieve successful analysis online. Accurate analysis needs to be undertaken in person and in natural light, not from photos or through a screen. Don’t fall for cheap advice that will only lead to more confusion.)
STYLE
Having the right style of clothing can make or break a happy mood, which is in turn rooted back to levels of overall satisfaction and motivation. Have you ever owned a piece of clothing that “just didn’t feel right”? You might not have known the reasons why, and maybe you even liked the garment but when you put it on there was just something that didn’t click? Maybe it’s to do with the fabric, fit, pattern, neckline or length. Maybe you’ve got items in your wardrobe even now that are just sitting there not fulfilling their potential, for no other reason other than you’ve just never reached for them? Again, there are really grounded reasons for this too. These clothes might be lovely, but if they don’t connect with your authentic self, reflect your personality or how you want to be perceived by the world you’re showing up to every day, they need to be in someone else’s wardrobe!
Then there will be your go-to’s, your staples, your reliable and trustworthy friends. The ones that make you feel more confident, make you walk with a swing in your step and show up to the world. The chances are there will be a common theme in these clothes. But sometimes with the busy world we live in with all its distractions, we can lose focus and start to feel a bit lost with knowing what to go for. Fashion trends are great but sometimes they won’t match what our authentic style actually is. We need to dress the bodies we have and celebrate all the different shapes, structures, curves and characters we have as individuals and to serve the different roles we have in our lives. Thankfully, there is a way to know this information too!
A House of Colour Style Analysis takes a holistic approach looking at the physical elements of your body but also how you want to be perceived and your character, and guides the way to detailed style advice which will inform every single thing you try on and purchase from that point onwards. Put an end to aimless mooching which let’s face it can often just be the opposite of dopamine-inducing, and start shopping with intention and know what you’re spending money on is worth it!
Our bodies are precious things to be nurtured and treasured and why wouldn’t we want to present them in the best way we possibly can? Having information about our best colours and style, matters. It just matters! If there are ways we can give ourselves the right tools around this, and how to apply them in our daily lives, and there are methodical ways of effectively increasing our own happiness and overall feeling of well-being, it’s a no-brainer. Dopamine dressing with guaranteed results!
For more information about Colour and Style Analysis and how to bring out your best with your colours and style, email me or give me a call.
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