My Wardrobe, Myself

Musings on Wardrobe Size and “Closet Churn”

Debbie Roes

September 1, 2018

A key reason why I stopped writing my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic, was that I had gotten burned out on continuously exploring the topics of wardrobe management, shopping, and personal style. I was also tired of being a sort of “poster child” for compulsive shopping. I needed a break from the spotlight on me and my shopping behavior, plus I wanted to write about other things. Although I would periodically publish essays on alternate subjects on Recovering Shopaholic, when I decided to return to blogging, I thought a fresh start with a new site would be the best approach.

I like the fact that Full Life Reflections has a much wider scope, but after taking some space from wardrobe-related topics, I have a renewed interest in writing such posts again. I still plan to keep this blog fairly balanced in terms of subject matter, but since the goal is to explore happiness, peace, and fulfillment in today’s chaotic world, writing about managing “closet chaos” fits in quite nicely. After all, if one’s closet is bursting at the seams and they still feel like they have “nothing to wear,” that doesn’t lend itself toward feeling calm and happy, does it?

A Topic Not Often Addressed…

In today’s post, I’m going to look at wardrobe size and closet churn. When I wrote about applying the “Goldilocks Principle” to our lives last week, I mentioned that I would do a follow-on post about how this concept relates to our wardrobes. I still plan to do this and have been giving it a lot of thought, but what kept coming up for me is how one can’t really look at wardrobe size honestly and authentically without considering the degree to which “closet churn” is an issue for them. These topics are closely related, but I think there is often far too much focus on the former and not nearly enough on the latter. I have been guilty of that phenomenon myself, which is why I want to come clean today and commit to doing things differently.

Have you pared down your closet only to have the size creep up once again?

Applying the “Goldilocks Principle” to Your Life

Debbie Roes

12 comments

August 21, 2018

It feels like a long time since I last posted an essay to this site – and it has been a full month. The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind for me with my move and starting an intensive educational program (I wrote about both of those changes here). Also thrown into the mix was a trip to visit family and attend my brother’s wedding, which was a nice break but stressful both leading up to it and afterwards. We’re now doing some remodeling to our house and while we’re excited for the end result, there is a lot of upheaval involved in the process.

In the midst of all of this, I haven’t forgotten about this blog and I have a lot of ideas for things I want to write about. I’m still working on the productivity “hacks” I wrote about last time that will enable me to better accomplish what’s important to me while minimizing stress and overwhelm. I will write more about that soon, but I have something else in mind for today. I’m going to apply a principle from a children’s story to life balance and looking at the various aspects of our lives.

Too Much, Too Little, Just Right

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? It’s a popular children’s tale in which a young girl wanders into a cottage and finds three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds. Upon testing out these items, she finds that two of each are “too” something or another (hot, cold, big, small, hard, soft) while the third one is “just right.” There are various philosophical implications of this simple story, but I want to focus on the “too something or another” aspect of it.

Daily Routines and Productivity Tips

Debbie Roes

15 comments

July 21, 2018

Time management has long been my Achilles heel despite the fact that I have done extensive reading on the subject. Over the years, I’ve tried various productivity strategies, yet I continue to feel like I never get enough done and am always behind on my tasks. While I’m frustrated that I have yet to become a master of productivity, I don’t want to give up, so I will keep exploring different avenues and adopting new approaches.

What productivity “hacks” have you learned over the years?

Natural Rhythms and Productivity

One topic that I’ve given more thought to lately is the concept of natural working styles. We all have our own unique rhythms that point to the times when we have high versus low physical, mental, and creative energy. One of the keys to increased productivity is tapping into these rhythms and using them to our best advantage. Of course, we can’t always get things done at the absolute optimal times for us, especially if we work for someone else, but most of us can tweak certain aspects of our lives to increase both our productivity and life satisfaction.

Shopping Check-in and Revisiting Sales Strategies

Debbie Roes

14 comments

July 11, 2018

It’s now been a month since I moved and started my new educational program. Things have settled down enough for me that I will probably be able to post more often. One thing I didn’t mention in my last post is that I now live just a few minutes away from my favorite mall! Since it’s been a long time since I’ve written about shopping issues, I thought that now might be a good time to revisit this issue. Additionally, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (NAS), which has been a big shopping occasion for me for many years, starts tomorrow. Since I started Recovering Shopaholic in 2013, I’ve approached that sale in a variety of ways, some of which were more productive and successful than others. In today’s post, I’ll share about my 2017 NAS experience, as well as what I plan to do differently this time around.

What tips and strategies do you have for successfully shopping sales?

Blogging about my compulsive shopping issues was kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it helped me to stick to a shopping budget for the first time in my adult life, as well facilitated my paring down an oversized wardrobe and refining my personal style. However, it also kept my focus firmly directed toward what I was buying – or not – and what I was wearing. In the beginning, that was beneficial, but I later felt that blogging on these topics hindered my recovery in some ways. For that and other reasons, I took a hiatus from my last blog and decided to shift focus when I began writing again. While I no longer want to write about clothes and shopping all the time, I’d still like to delve into these issues from time to time.

Don’t Put Your Life on Hold

Debbie Roes

17 comments

June 28, 2018

This is the first blog post I’m writing in my new home. My husband and I moved two and a half weeks ago to a condo we purchased about fifteen minutes away from where we were previously renting an apartment. The past month has been a whirlwind… Not only is moving stressful and labor-intensive, but the move exacerbated some of my health issues, which was disappointing because the hope was that I might do better in this new environment. That may still end up being the case, but there are some challenges that we need to address in our new home that we didn’t anticipate before moving. I also started a new educational program two weeks ago (more on that below) that is occupying a lot of my time and energy.

The above basically explains why I haven’t written a new post for so long. This blog is still important to me, but in the spirit of my word for the year – essential, I’ve had to take a few steps back and focus on what was most important since I didn’t have the bandwidth to do everything I wanted to do. I’ve thought of a few post ideas in the past several weeks, but none of them felt quite right. I may write about those things in the future, but I’m also trying to figure out how to make my posts less time-intensive. I definitely want to have everything I post be of high quality and meaningful to readers. That doesn’t mean they need to be lengthy, but old habits die hard! I hope to resume more regular posting as things settle down and I adjust to a new rhythm with my life.

Taking on a New Challenge

your life, your choice

In regards to the new educational program, I am pursuing certification as a health coach. I feel this is a good fit for me given my passion for health and wellness, my educational background in psychology and life coaching, and my own health struggles. I wrestled with my decision to sign up for the program for months. I felt it calling to me, but I had a lot of doubts, mostly because I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in many areas of my life, particularly in the realm of career.

I’ve had a lot of different jobs over the years and my career path has included many twists and turns. I have two college degrees (BA in Clinical Psychology and MA in Counseling Psychology) and a life coaching certification, have run three businesses (life coaching, web design, and wardrobe consulting), have done varied contract work in numerous fields, and this is my fifth blog. My businesses never took off the way I wanted them to, I haven’t liked most of the jobs I’ve held, and I’ve never found my true passion or “dream job.” Since I chose not to have children, I’ve felt even more pressure to forge a career that would serve as a large slice of my personal identity. That has never happened, though not for a lack of trying.