Fashion has a major influence on your mind and human behaviour as well as the behaviour of others around you. It isn’t just the colour that affects how your brain works, but also the design, fabric and style of the outfit. The clothes and fabrics you wear and the way in which you style it has been psychologically proven to immensely improve one’s mental health.

Anxiety disorder and depression are two of the most common mental illnesses affecting over almost half of the population island wide. The Oxford Clinical Psychology department characterizes anxiety disorder as “multiple mental and physiological phenomena, including a person’s conscious state of worry over a future unwanted event, or fear of an actual situation”. 

Described as experiencing a prolonged period of persistent sadness, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep and lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities, depression most commonly affects teenagers and young adults.  

The science behind fashion and mental health 

Research verifies that people tend to dress according to their moods, with further studies confirming that colour, texture and design impacts our mental health. People suffering from depression disorders and anxiety disorders may find fashion a hassle. Dissatisfaction with the outfit in turn may result in increased feelings of low self esteem, low self confidence, sadness, tension and anxiety. So it is important that you dress to feel comfortable even when following the tips given below. 

The clothes you wear allow you to embody an attitude and mindset, as it provides as a structure for creating one’s identity. As previously mentioned the colours we are exposed to directly affect your brain due to the energy omitted from the colour through the light. The textures of the fabrics too affect your mood by how they fit on you, due to the physiological effects caused by the fabric, pattern, structure and size of the clothing items. 

Here is how you can use fashion to help with your mental health. 

Dressing to help with depression and anxiety  

• Dress for confidence by wearing warmer and brighter colors such as shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and green
• Fitting your clothes correctly to your body can help improve with low self esteem. 
• Opting for clothes with a better structure and design, may help with posture and self confidence. 
• Choosing clothing items with bold patterns and fabrics.  
• Accessorizing your outfit with shoes, hats, hair clips, and jewelry to add flare to your finished look. 

Whether you choose to dress up to help with your depression or to dress down to soothe your anxiety, you must dress comfortably. Do not dress for others, but dress for yourself. 

By Kisavi Jayawardena