Yesterday I was having a conversation with somebody regarding keeping old clothes that used to fit with hopes that they will fit again in the future. This person asked me my opinion on this, and it brought me back to the times that I have also had “Goal Weight” clothing hanging in my closet.
Everything comes down to how something makes us feel inside because everything in this Universe is energy. This requires us to become very honest with ourselves, or at least be willing to invite honesty inward when it comes to our emotional states. Our true energy/vibration can not fool the Universe no matter how much we may try to resist/ignore/or deny our true feelings.
Having grown up in a body that was never in an “average” weight category, I know the battle of wishing, hoping, and praying that my body would change and conform to what was deemed normal. Due to this, there were a couple of times where I hung on to old clothing that once fit me, hoping they would fit me again in the future once I lost enough weight.
It seemed like a motivational thing to do. However, every time I opened my closet door and saw that pair of too-small jeans hanging there, negative feelings rushed into my system. I still couldn’t fit into them. I would start scolding myself that I clearly was not working hard enough. I would call myself names like saying I was lazy. I would feel the shame and embarrassment of failure running through my body. But I hung on to these items because getting rid of them would have meant admitting defeat. I refused to do that. This mindset kept me in a state of lack.
In this post I will explain 6 ways to release old clothing (and really anything that no longer serves us) to make way for the new, through acts of self-love.
If, and only if, keeping goal weight clothing in your closet truly makes you feel good, empowered, and motivated in a deeply honest way, then absolutely do that. In my reality, that wasn’t a true experience for me. If this is the same for you, then here is why it is okay and *loving* to let go.
Staying in Lack / “Not Good Enough” Mindset
If I was able to be honest with myself, removing judgment or shame from the equation, I would have realized that I didn’t deserve to constantly be reminded of feeling “not good enough”. This energy keeps us in lack. The Universe is constantly working with our energies. Like I mentioned before, we cannot trick the Universe when it comes to how we truly feel, for it senses our vibrations regardless of what we are willing to admit to ourselves. It is not how our bodies look that brings shame and negativity to our lives. It is how we view ourselves for looking the way that we do in any given moment. Constantly feeling like I wasn’t good enough by not being able to fit into these “Goal Weight” clothes taught the Universe to provide me situations in life that were constantly providing me “lack”. With that energy comes stagnant energy.
Stagnant Energy
Stagnant energy comes from fear-based thought patterns that accumulate in our lives and subconsciously dictate how our lives will go. Keeping clothes in our wardrobes that no longer suit us, whether that’s their size or style, blocks new energy coming in that is more aligned with us. For those of you familiar with the author Marie Kondo, she is all about keeping items in our lives that bring us joy and releasing the rest. I am constantly focusing on that energy when it comes to my wardrobe because I, for too long, wore clothing that would cover up and conceal me over clothing that matched my mood in that moment and felt like an authentic portrayal of myself. Stagnant energy creates blocks. We must release what no longer serves us to show the Universe we have made room for something better. If we are clinging on to the past, then we are neglecting our beautiful opportunities of increased self-love to flow into the present and future moments.
Resisting Love in The Present Moment
Growing up with a fixation on losing weight constantly had me reaching outside of the present moment to find love. I was certain that I would only be deserving of that love, confidence, success, and expression of truth once I was “thin”. Until then, I wasn’t deserving of that joy and happiness because my physical body was not good enough. Often, we can only create that future feeling of love and success by being willing to know that we deserve it as we look and exist in this present moment right now. Those dreams you have for when your body looks a certain way? Guess what? You deserve your dreams to come true right now, as your body exists in its present state. You’re good enough now. Read that again.
Fear of Sizing Up
I would get caught up on numbers, like what size clothing I was wearing or what number showed up when I stepped onto the scale. I would feel empowered when I’d be able to fit into a piece of clothing that was marked a smaller size than I typically wore. Not due to me having lost weight necessarily but due to this piece of clothing fitting me in a way where a smaller size worked. I felt there was more worth in me knowing I was able to fit into something smaller than usual. It empowered me – but in a self-defeating way. I was associating my worth with a number which was a temporary hit of satisfaction.
What matters most is choosing clothing that represents our true colors and allows us to feel free in expressing ourselves in an empowering way. The size on the tag does not matter. Every store’s sizing specifications is different, even piece-to-piece. Life happens, our bodies shift, everything is temporary, and denying ourselves properly fitting clothing (to our discernment) due to fear of upsizing is withholding more love to flow into our lives.
Evolving Style
Who is to say that, should we come to a place in our bodies where we can fit back into that piece of clothing we were hanging onto, that we will even feel aligned to that style any longer? I don’t feel fitting into a piece of clothing that no longer inspires us would be as much of a rewarding experience than going out and trying on/buying a new piece of clothing that matches our style and our size at that moment. Plus, as we grow our bodies shift and place weight in different areas. If your weight reduces to a number it used to be when a certain piece of clothing fit you, that clothing may or may not still fit you the same due to your body shifting in shape anyway.
Sometimes we can get creative with clothing that no longer fits us in a certain way that we desire. Or, perhaps our clothing still fits us but doesn’t fit our style as much. What I tend to do in circumstances like these is get out my clothing cutter and/or scissors and transform that piece of clothing into one that brings me more joy. For example, I love crop-tops. I also really loved this Love shirt. However, I noticed that I didn’t love it as much as I could due to its length, as it wasn’t inspiring me. I got out my scissors and cut that top into a crop. Now? I get excited whenever I see that it is clean and tucked away in my drawer, because it represents me in a more authentic way just by the style of it. And it is even more unique since I designed it to fit me personally.
The same goes for this B Youtifull top (which is my own design and you can buy in my merch shop at https://shop.spreadshirt.com/xBrittney89 (link is on this site as well). This top was a men’s 3x and as soon as I took some cutting sheers to it and made it into a crop top, as well as cutting the length of the sleeves, it has easily become one of my favorite tops. I feel way more like myself when I wear it. This is authentic empowerment.
Sending Off with Gratitude
Hopefully the past five tips have brought you further comfort in releasing clothing that no longer suits you knowing it is not failure for doing so. In fact, it is a noble act of self-love because you are ridding your space of that which does not bring you joy. A peaceful way that can bring more gratitude and abundance into our lives is to gather that which no longer serves us and thank it for acting as a catalyst to teach us how to let go. These pieces of clothing served us in the past and their duty has come to an end. It is very self-loving and generous to release these pieces of clothing through donating them or selling them or trashing them if they have reached a state of destruction. That way the next person who is ready to receive clothing that suits them will benefit from your own act of self-love. The Universe will acknowledge your willingness to release the “old” and will provide opportunities to enhance your closet and your life with the more aligned “new”.
For example, I released this jean jacket and these black shorts because the energy of wearing them wasn’t fully aligned in joy. This jacket was one I settled for wearing that I came across when I moved back home. It was a jacket from the past that reminded me of negative energies I was leaving behind. These black shorts were very comfortable however the zipper was constantly falling down. They were my only pair of shorts I had with me, as most of my things are still in storage back in Maine as I’m now living in Arizona, so I had to trust that it was safe for me to release. Better would come and I wouldn’t have to constantly worry about my zipper falling down without my awareness! Haha.
Letting go doesn’t always have to be due to size. If the energy no longer feels fully empowering, release…
It’s okay to evolve. We must. We are human. Our bodies are constantly changing. Releasing the old does not mean we are admitting defeat. It means we are accepting ourselves where we are now knowing that we deserve love in this moment as we look. Our bodies will be shifting and changing our entire lives, whether in size, shape, marks, etc. Our willingness to deliver self-love is a choice we can make consistent regardless of how we look. It doesn’t mean we are giving up on obtaining our desires whether that’s aimed at our body-goals or not. It does mean that we are going after those desires from a place of self-worth and self-love.
See you soon,
BodyLoveBritt
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