The Importance of Work Appearance (even when working from home)
Photography: Pinterest via Jaclyn Mittman
Since the pandemic started, our whole world is upside down. Our social life is limited, we are working from home, kids are here 24/7...our work-life balance is, well, very unbalanced and our sanity can be quite challenged.
I get that what we are wearing at home and how we look can be at the bottom of our list. But let me try to convince you that during these unsettling times we actually need to put in the extra effort into feeling good about our appearance.
Getting dressed up a bit and putting something else on other than your very cozy loungewear (talking about you, sweat pants and leggings) can motivate you to set up the right mood to "go to work" (= going to your kitchen table or home office)
Taking 5 more minutes in the morning to get dressed can feel like having a "me time" moment that can be precious before starting a hectic day.
Feeling good on how you look can give you extra confidence and can be noticed, even on zoom calls.
Putting on some makeup and a nice top can cheer up your moral.
Changing back to loungewear at night can be the signal that you are done with your workday and that you are allowing yourself to disconnect. " I switched to my lounge clothes, I am done for today."
At the moment we don't have control over much (except elections, so get out and vote!). However, stepping up our work from home attire is something we can decide. So let's do it and put our best step forward.
The image that you send to your colleagues, team... is still important. People will notice how you look. I am not saying that you need to show that you are a superwoman. I 100% believe that women have the right to set boundaries with work. We know that our mental load is way more than our male counterparts and especially right now so managers and companies should respect that. But still, the image you are showing right now, even if it is via video calls, can stick with you in the long term so we just need to be smart about it.
Photography: via Pinterest
I am not going to lie, even for me, it is not easy every day to dress up but when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and I see that I am wearing a pretty ensemble with some light makeup on, it makes me smile (yep, smiling at myself) and I am thinking " alright, looking good today, let's have a nice and productive day".
Wishing you an amazing week ahead!
x
Lili