Client Insight: “I cleaned out my ‘skinny’ clothes from my closet and I love the result.”

For many of you who have been on the diet rollercoaster for years, you probably have collected two wardrobes: one you’re trying to feel good in now and the other is the clothes you hope to fit back into one day. You might even find yourself putting off buying clothes you feel your best in because you’re waiting to lose weight and don’t want to ‘waste’ the money.

Here at the Centre for Emotional Eating we hear this from clients often! Not only is there a wish to one day be the smaller size you were previously, a lot of the time you also have emotional ties to those clothes because of who you were when you wore them. For example, one client loved her blouses and pencil skirts because it reminded her of a time when she was happy in her career.

But getting rid of these clothes will not only free up real space in your closet it will also free up mental space. Here’s what we hear from clients once they’ve taken the plunge and cleaned out their closets of clothes that no longer fit them or feel good to wear:

• “I didn’t realize how much it affected my mood to look in my closet. Those piles of old clothes I wasn’t wearing were a constant reminder of failure, of how my body has changed.”
• “It was emotional to look back and remember who I was or what I was doing when I wore some of these clothes. But I realized that those experiences are still with me! I can make new memories in new clothes; getting rid of the old clothes doesn’t mean the end of good times.”
• “Once I had pulled all the old clothes out, I realized that the styles had change (yes, that’s how far back I had clothes from!) and even if I did fit back into these clothes, I wouldn’t wear them because I no longer thought of them as fashionable.”
• “It no longer makes me feel bad about myself to get dressed in the morning. Now when I open my closet in the morning, I only have clothes to choose from that make me feel good—SO much easier!”

While you may be tempted to think of the money you’ve spent on your clothes means they are worth keeping “just in case”, if you’re not wearing them, they are just taking up physical, emotional, and mental space. Have old clothes go to a new home by finding a local donation bin or doing a clothing swap with friends. This can help you feel like those old clothes are being repurposed in a positive way. If you’re feeling ready to clean out the old and maybe bring in the new, check out our powerful tips for dressing yourself!

💛 Your peace awaits.