Why Comfortable Clothes Help Manage My Anxiety

The title of this post may seem self-evident to a lot of you. Of course you like comfortable clothes, you’re probably thinking, everybody does. I suppose that’s true. But I want to also spend a bit of time discussing what comfort means in the context of clothing; as for me, it encompasses several dimensions, all of which help me manage my anxiety.

Managing Anxiety Considering Comfort as Freedom from Fashion

The first definition of comfortable clothing concerns consistency. My fashion choices haven’t changed a bit since I was a teenager. All year round, I usually wear dark blue or black jeans alongside an assortment of band t-shirts.

I’ve been a metal fan since the age of nine, and wearing those shirts allows me to feel like I belong to a worldwide community of like-minded fans greater than myself. Furthermore, metal fashion also hasn’t really changed in the 50 years it's been a genre – band shirts, denim, and leather have always been the uniform, and I don’t see that ever changing. I find incredible comfort that it’s remained that consistent.

Not having to worry about changing fashion is a relief. Fashion changes far too rapidly – if I were to try and keep up, I imagine I would drive myself insane. Because of what I’ve chosen to wear, however, I don’t have to worry about that.

Anxiety Relief from Comfortable Clothes as Physical Sensation

The second dimension of comfort is one that’s probably the most obvious: the physical sensation of what you wear. The clothes I wear, for the most part, feel comfortable to wear – they aren’t too heavy, they don’t make me feel too warm, and they aren’t too bright. These are the most important factors when it comes to choosing what I wear, as I can be sensitive to all of that.

In addition, when I am at home, I will often dress more comfortably than when I go out. I’ll often swap out my jeans for a pair of pajama pants and often forego wearing a shirt. This makes me feel even more comfortable, and in my day-to-day life, when I can be besieged by stress constantly, I am always looking for ways to increase my general comfort level.

Dress Comfortably to Reduce Anxiety

My point in all this is that my philosophy of dressing focuses primarily on what makes me feel comfortable, with any considerations of fashion falling behind. Yes, I want to look nice in my own way, but comfort will always be my main priority.

I don’t have any regrets about doing this. And I would recommend it to anyone who feels they need some extra comfort in their life – I don’t feel it is worth getting anxious about things that are, at their core, superfluous.