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 <4-5> Mental health & wellbeing  experiences

During the painful ongoing pandemic, I decided to explore our youth's feelings and experiences. Personally, I found myself less motivated to do anything, whether it was physical or mental. This made me feel  isolated and very unaccomplished as time slowed down, yet moved too fast, something we all can relate to. 

Outlooks on life have changed due to the experiences caused by lockdown. " I find myself appreciating those around me more... and not take things for granted" - Anon. Isolation have left many of us feeling off-track and this generation has definitely lost yet gained a lot of wisdom by becoming more in tune with themselves. We no longer want to stay in doors, we want to spend time with our friends and family, we have realised how short life is and that each moment should be appreciated.

Some of us gained new life skills, " I used to get anxious doing anything, but now I just don't care" - Anon. You would think confidence would be at an all time low right? wrong. Spending time with oneself can boost your belief that everything will be alright. Things we used to care about, we don't care about now. We have new personal values and are striving to keep it up. However, it has not been easy. 




<6-7>  Attitudes to beauty and fashion

I asked some of my friends for their opinions, all had something interesting to say. In terms of mental health and self care, some completely gave up on looking stylish, and others have emerged in a self-love journey to accepting themselves as they are. " I no longer wear makeup...I feel more comfortable in my own skin and I honestly don't care what others think of me anymore" -Anon, female. A lot of people started to care about skin health rather than make-up to cover their imperfections. Due to the growing self-care/body positivity movements, the beauty industry quickly shifted into selling products that are targeted to skin health. "Healthy means beautiful" - Anon, female. This encouraged a lot of people to re-evaluate the importance of healing themselves whether it's physically or mentally. 

Perceptions of beauty changed during isolation and some don't feel the need to make an effort all the time. We find ourselves gearing towards comfort-wear such as joggers, sweatshirts, and hoodies. A lot of brands have created comfort wear stylish again by adding patterns and decorations on many garments. I feel that the fashion industry is going towards two ways, either people will encourage comfortable clothing or we will see an increase of  more formal wear since life is going back to 'normal' slowly but surely. 

We will also see an increase of clothing that is recycled and eco-friendly as many believe the pandemic happened by nature retaliating since we caused so much damage and pollution. Maybe this experience will teach industries the right route for humankind and I'm definitely here for it!


Improvements 

<4-5> 

During the painful ongoing pandemic, I chose to investigate the feelings and experiences of our youth. Personally, I found myself less inspired to engage in any activity, whether physical or mental. As time slowed, yet flowed too quickly, I felt alienated and unaccomplished, which is something we can all relate to.

Because of the experiences brought on by the lockdown, people's perspectives on life have shifted." I find myself appreciating those around me more... and not take things for granted" - Anon. Many of us have felt off-track as a result of isolation, and this generation gained wisdom by becoming more in tune with themselves. We no longer want to stay inside; instead, we want to spend time with our friends and family, realising that life is brief and that each moment should be cherished.

Some of us learned new life skills, such as "I used to get anxious doing anything, but now I don't care" - Anon. You'd think confidence would be at an all-time low, wouldn't you? false.  Spending time alone with oneself can help you realise that everything will be fine. Things we used to care about are no longer important to us. We have adopted new personal values and are working hard to maintain them. However, it hasn't been easy. 


<6-7> 

I asked some of my friends for their thoughts, and everyone had something interesting to say. In terms of mental health and self-care, some have given up on looking fashionable, while others have embarked on a self-love journey to accept themselves as they are.  " I no longer wear makeup...I feel more comfortable in my own skin and I honestly don't care what others think of me anymore" -Anon, female. Many people began to value skin health over the use of make-up to conceal flaws. Because of the growing self-care/body positivity movements, the beauty industry quickly shifted to selling skin-health products. "Beautiful means healthy" - Anon, female. This encouraged a lot of people to re-evaluate the importance of healing themselves whether it's physically or mentally. 

Beauty perceptions changed during isolation, and some people no longer feel the need to make an effort all of the time. We're gravitating toward comfort-wear items like joggers, sweatshirts, and hoodies. Many brands have made comfort wear stylish again by incorporating patterns and decorations into a variety of garments. I believe that the fashion industry is heading in one of two directions: either people will encourage more casual clothing, or we will see an increase in more formal wear as life gradually returns to 'normal.'

We will also see an increase in recycled and eco-friendly clothing, as many believe the pandemic was caused by nature retaliating against us for causing so much damage and pollution. Maybe this experience will teach industries the right path for humanity, and I'm all for it!


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