When I’m feeling confident, my taste is more reliable, grounded, and steady, and I’m able to shop slowly and with more patience. In the end, what I buy may contribute to my confidence, but only because it was already there, developed over time and, importantly, through other means.
The Instagram Reels about how to dress for your body type and the endless online shopping are junk food for your anxious mind to chew on—they work because they feel immediately satisfying but are unsustaining in the long-run. You can chase those little highs forever, build a closet packed with technically flattering and stylish clothes and still be... See more
social pain activates the same regions of the brain as physical pain. the anterior cingulate cortex, the brain’s alarm system, doesn’t distinguish between a broken bone and a withdrawn gaze. so when you’ve learned that being too much risks disconnection, your brain finds ways to protect you. it trims the parts that threaten closeness, blunts down t... See more
"Think of yourself in a concert hall listening to the strains of the sweetest music when you suddenly remember that you forgot to lock your car. You are anxious about the car, you cannot walk out of the hall and you cannot enjoy the music. There you have a perfect image of life as it is lived by most human beings."