Wedding Gown Therapy

It had been a bad hair month, “said Beth Grading. “I had been passed over for a promotion, my best friend got a great job in San Francisco and I had a string of ‘no where dates’. “I felt so goofy that my bad mood lifted. I loved pacing up and down the stairs. “Studies show that visual cues can affect your emotions. If you add laughter to the mix you have a powerful combination..” Says Eli Davidson, M.A. author of Funky to Fabulous: Creating the Life You Want, Not the One You Are Stuck With (Oak Grove Press).Trot to your local thrift store or consignment store and buy wedding gown (or if that gives you the heebie geebies buy a second hand ball gown). If you have a task you dread (like cleaning your oven or preparing your taxes) put on your handy wedding gown. Your mood can’t help but lift.

It’s hard to take yourself as seriously when you are walking around with a six foot train of silk trailing behind you. Changing your clothes into celebration wear automatically boosts your mood.

It is a Pattern Interrupt Technique founded in the principles of Neuro Linguistic Programming. You can disrupt a bad mood by giving yourself a cheerful cue by putting on some celebration wear.

Change Your Outfit-Change Your OutlooknA wedding gown may not be the perfect thing to slip into at the office. By slipping into a different pair of shoes, or changing into a vibrant sweater, you are short circuiting a negative pattern. “By taking dominion over your behavior even in a simple act like putting on some lipstick, you are giving yourself a new cue.” suggests Eli Davidson. “If I am having a dizzing day , I will go home at lunch and change my clothes. I come back to the office refreshed and redirected. .” Says Barbara Holden of Austin, Texas.

That new signal overrides the existing one and reminds you that you are the one that determines your mood. You can then more easily direct yourself in a more positive direction.

Color Me Happy
Keep an item close that is the color of happiness? Color is a powerful unconscious motivator. It is one of our fastest signaling systems. Green on the grass is great. Green growing on your hamburger is gross. Think of your favorite color and your mood will improve. “I love having tea in my orange and turquoise mug that my niece Elena made.” said consultant Since there is a powerful link between color behavior and mood keeping a “happy color” close you can help short circuit your stressors.

Get Goofy
100 laughs are equal to 10 minutes of aerobics. Have some silly wear handy for when you are taking yourself too seriously. “I put a ping pong table in my design studio. Ping pong makes me giggle. Laughing makes me more creative.” Olia Toporovsky of New York City. Consider keeping a goofy pair of glasses (my current favorite) for the drive to and from work. n