I think one of the most important things you can do to cope is to allow yourself a space where you think about life in general, and your life in specific without making it a chore. I also think sometimes the more unusual equivalent of a classic solution is what will work best for you. Commonplace journaling and/or scrapbooking lets you collect things that may feel relevant to you from quotes, to photos, to ideas or observations, and you can do it in a way that you like. I found that for me, it lets me get my feelings out about how I see the world at that point in time, in a way that allows me to refer back to it. It may not give you a sense of control in the sense that events happen in our lives, but it will give you a sense of control in the sense that you contemplate your reactions, and your feelings, and gain control over those. Control over those will then allow you to feel comfort about the future because then you will teach yourself how to think about how you move through the future.
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always thought i had to wait for my life to be amazing to start writing it down...turns out it was already pretty cool and i regret all the stuff i can't remember anymore. also just a helpful mental practice to get your thoughts out of your brain and on some paper so you don't have to worry about holding them all in there. spending extra time thinking about positive moments in your life is also a good way to help your brain default to positive thinking more often, like building a muscle. i make it fun by cutting and pasting a bunch of pictures and stuff so it feels like a craft instead of a chore, otherwise i won't really do it.
Jun 30, 2024
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it has a slightly nebulous definition and might not be all that revolutionary of a concept but it consistently brings joy to my life. i use it as a collection of quotes & lines from film, books, music, and any other form of art and writing that resonated with me. sometimes iโll just write down the quote, other times iโll expand on why itโs meaningful to me. but now i have a collection of other peopleโs ideas that make me feel seen and speak to me to look at whenever i need it. using a physical journal also makes it more tangible, like iโm actually holding the ideas in my hands.
Jan 20, 2024
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Perhaps you could try journaling? Try to define the things you can and cant change. Maybe try to look at them from a different lens. I also find that reading helps me a lot. Getting a different perspective on a shared feeling and learning through the characters. You could also share your thoughts with someone you trust as we probably all feel similarly.
Apr 6, 2024
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Whether you need inspo, are curious about the discourse over the last few decades, want to get into a new hobby or whatever else, you can download open source magazine issues from decades past. They have magazines from as early as the early 1900s too! I have been obsessed with old video games lately so I have been looking at the old club nintendo magazines and it has been so fun. Like look at some of the covers these magazines used to have
Aug 7, 2024
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There is something about seeing someone be unconscious about something that they really love. The sincerity of it, the way they forget to be quiet if its in public, the way they gesture with their hands more. Its great 10/10 would recommend being passionate about your interests!
Jul 10, 2024
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This might be a strange solution but it may help: when you see something thats not a garment that you consider beautiful for whatever reason, photograph it and then use your wardrobe to try and capture that energy.
For example, I go on a lot of nature walks and something that happens a lot on my walks is that I'll see a lot of beautiful colours that I often don't see worn together, blends of textures like where the leaves of a tree meet the sky etc and so I try to capture that. Like that's how I realised that I love the colour combination of orange and grey.
To help I may then look through old magazines and cut out images to make scrapbook pages of inspiration, or if I have the influence of a particular era in mind to express the look I may look at stills of films from that decade (that's another way you can use pinterest that's not so algo heavy).
Then you just try stuff on and see how you feel, what you like about your attempts what you don't like etc. Ultimately imo the easiest way to avoid relying on algorithms for fashion inspiration is to take inspiration from things other than clothes and to practice translating the aesthetic principles into garments.
Do you like that one brutalist style building with hedges of wild flowers near the place you work? How do you express it in an outfit. Do you keep looking at the sheen of an apple before you bite into it? What fabrics might have a similar effect?
And then use the clothes that you have to try things and edit/style your looks until you get to things you like wearing.
Nov 2, 2024