Hello Parker Press readers! Welcome back to Parker Press' advice column: Ask a Friend. We have created this advice column with the intention to foster a designated safe space for peers to be open about things they might be struggling with or have questions about and give each another guidance. The floor is always open to anyone who is seeking advice! Every posting, Parker Press staff respond to questions they receive under their personal pen names.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Anyone can submit questions via this form or dm us directly. You can sign your questions with your actual name, your initials, or a pen name---it's completely up to you!
Disclaimer: Advice from Parker Press is given by students on the Parker Press staff and is by no means a professional opinion. While every contributor has the best intentions, please take any advice given with a grain of salt, as every situation is very unique to each individual. Please keep questions school appropriate. Parker Press is by no means obligated to respond to questions that fall outside of these perimeters or are a violation someone's privacy. We hope you enjoy!
Q: If I'm struggling to pick an outfit what should I do?
- Tristan
A: Hi Tristan! The everyday task of picking the perfect fit is something everyone struggles with, despite everyone having their own unique aesthetic. Therefore, my advice today is going to be on the broader side so that hopefully you can use it to guide your next fit pick. I will start with my number one rule for having the most slay outfit in the room: wear something that is comfortable. If you start by narrowing down your clothing to your most comfortable apparel, you'll find that those are the pieces that you will be the most confident in and confidence is an accessory of its own.
Though this sounds like I'm contradicting myself, next you should pick one item the puts you outside of your comfort zone. If you do this you will find that your aesthetic expands beyond what you had previously thought and it will open the door to even more fashion opportunities. Lastly, basics, basics, basics are the essentials of anyone's closet. You should get basics. When you have basics you will consistently look put together and ready to take on the day. However, you can also add stuff to these essentials and make a fashion statement everywhere you go. Overall I would say that there are three take-aways from this. One; confidence comes with comfortability, two; wear that piece that you are afraid to wear, three; basics are underrated.
I wish you the best of luck!
- Jane
Q: When is it ok to not compartmentalize emotions, and how can I unpack it?
- Anonymous
A: Hey Anonymous! This is certainly a loaded question. I would say that compartmentalizing emotions can be an important skill when you need to focus your attention elsewhere or you are not in a place where you are able to effectively process them. However, there is a fine line between temporarily putting your emotions to the side, and letting them bottle up.
When you find a time and the space to unpack your emotions, I find that journaling or at the least writing down what your feeling is a very effectively way to start to dissect what initially might feel like a matted knot of thoughts and feelings. Sitting down and asking yourself to transcribe and articulate your emotions allows you to delve into whatever it is that you are experiencing and after, reading back what you wrote, you can take a step back and perhaps see the situation from a third person point of view.
This change of perspective is extremely helpful, as it can allow you to process your feelings and experiences more rationally. At the very least, writing out your thoughts is extremely likely to make you feel at least a lil better, as it is not only a creative outlet, but having your thoughts physically written down can ease your mind and in turn, help to stop repetitive thought patterns.
Hope this helps!
Mel