What you wear can have a tremendous effect on your confidence level. Don't believe me? Forbes spoke on a study about two groups of doctors who performed the same set of tests. The first group of doctors were given white lab coats to perform the tests in. The second group was told to wear normal clothes. The first group of doctors performed the set tests flawlessly, whereas the second group had many mistakes. I guess you should never receive a surgery from a guy without his scrubs.
This phenomenon doesn't just apply to doctors. It applies to everyone who wakes up and puts on clothes. Experts like Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner call it the Psychology of Dress. Clothing can have positive and adverse effects on your emotions and how you feel about yourself. We often view clothes as an external expression to others, but the clothes on your body can affect your internal perception of yourself as well. Think about game day or your first job interview. Dressing for the occasion sparks certain behaviors and motivations. Your xc jersey brings up emotions that come with race day, where as a simple t-shirt does not.
Personally, I grew up playing a variety of sports from basketball and lacrosse, to XC mountain biking and ski racing. I love these sports, but they also gave me undo amounts of anxiety. My dad found out that I always performed better when I didn't take things too seriously. He tried his best not to make a big deal out of the home game or the qualifying race. When I was 12, he didn't even tell me that the Prater Cup in Crested Butte was the qualifier for the Junior Olympic Ski Race. He knew that I performed at my best when I wasn't worried about winning and just had a smile on my face.
Thanks to my dad, I realized that through clothes, I could help my mind relax. My favorite outdoor memories and PRs came when I wore a tutu, fun socks, or ribbons in my hair. Adding an element of silly helped me lower my expectations and just roll with it.
I don't do many races or competitions anymore, but I still like to dress down even on "fun" days. To this day I still find my heart beating fast and my mind spiraling when I click into my skis or lace up my tennis shoes. But not dressing completely for the part allows me to breathe and remind myself, "hey, we're just out here for fun."
That's why I have been working day in and day out on an outdoor apparel brand that brings back just being silly. It's hard to join and feel comfortable in many outdoor spaces because of Outdoor Elitism. If you aren't familiar with this term, its essentially the belief that you are better than others from experience, gear, strength, etc. I've seen people in the outdoors get way too agro. But I believe through funky fits we can break down the barriers of Outdoor Elitism and create a more inclusive space in the outdoors.
Thanks for reading! Stay sunny!
-Ana
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