Summmmmahhhhh! The days are longer, it’s getting warmer, the winter coats are firmly lodged under the bed and they are not coming out again for a while. But, whilst we cannot wait for the barbeques and the beach, shopping for clothes for summer can be a totally crappy experience. When it seems like the rest of the world is running around in short shorts, t shirts and swimsuits, shopping for summer can be intimidating at best, and panic inducing at its worst. That’s why we want to give you guys a few ideas so that shopping for summer doesn’t have to fill you with dread but might actually be fun. Who knew?!
1) Get rid of everything that doesn’t fit anymore
We’ve all done it at some point. Saved a pair of shorts in the hope that one day we might fit into them again, only for them to haunt us through summer after summer. Well no more! Gather up everything from past summers that doesn’t fit and give it to the charity shop, or even sell it online to make a bit of extra cash for your new haul. Trust us – you will feel so much better for it and can start fresh without the ghost of shorts past guilt tripping you for enjoying an ice cream.
2) Limit yourself to a few things
Break down what you need to buy for your upcoming holidays and do it a bit at a time. ASOS can be intimidating AF with 1000s of products and waaaaay too much choice, so every time you decide you are going to add to the haul, just focus on one or two things at a time. Plus, shopping IRL is stressful without the added nightmare of having to buy an entire wardrobe worth of clothes in one go.
3) Invest in something that will last
Try to get one or two things that will last you for a few years. Not only is it waaaay better for the environment and your purse strings, it should make sure there is no way near as much pressure next year as there is this time around. In fact, it will even make this bout of shopping hell easier, knowing that it’s one less thing that future you will not have to worry about.
4) If in doubt – shop shoes and accessories
We all have low self-esteem days, and it seems like the great cosmic joke of the universe that these always coincide with when we have to be hitting changing rooms all over town. When you are feeling like this, trying on clothes, especially ones that show a lot of skin, is a total nightmare. Instead of making it worse, try shoes, bags and everything else that you might need without having to get into an actual poorly lit, hot and sweaty changing room. It will save your self esteem and still get stuff done – win win!
5) Don’t always shop the trend
It can be really hard to know what your personal style is. But going in for every summer trend will end up giving you a wardrobe that is somehow full neon, wicker, gingham and flowers (not that there is anything wrong with that!) What we mean is that buying what the rest of the world is telling you to buy is a pretty quick way to feel bad about yourself. You are amazing – so shop for what makes you feel comfortable and like you!
6) Put a time limit on it
If online shopping is your bag, but you just can’t face the 1000000s of items that you can magically make arrive at your door the next day, put a time limit on your shopping moment. Set your phone timer for half an hour, and use that time to browse just one or two sites. If you haven’t found anything – don’t stress, it wasn’t meant to be this time. Take a step back from it and do something you enjoy instead.
7) Remember, it’s not the end of the world
The rest of the world can make us feel like not getting the perfect shorts, t shirt or shoes for the summer is literally the worst thing ever. Combined with the volume of magazines, websites and social media posts dedicated to achieving the ‘perfect summer body’, it can make you feel pretty damn terrible when you can’t achieve it. The thing is though, it isn’t the end of the world. You will still go on that holiday you’ve been excited about for ages, you will still go to your mates barbeque and have a great time – shopping for summer can be stressful, but summer shouldn’t be.
If you feel like you need to talk to someone about anxiety, or any other issue, reach out to the Ditch the Label Community here.
