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Most of us think that getting dressed every day Is just something we have to do, just another day, another outfit.

Maybe for some of you, getting dressed is about personal style, or what looks good, or maybe it’s just about putting something on and moving on with your day. But there is a layer underneath all of that ,that most of us are not paying attention to, and that is COLOR. Whether you realize it or not, the colors you choose to wear are shaping how you are perceived every single day.

Color is communication.

Color is one of the most powerful and immediate forms of nonverbal communication, it communicates things like, energy, identity, mood, status, color communicates your culture, before a single word is spoken. Color gives people information about you to interpret, and most of this happens quickly and automatically.

When you start to see your clothing colors as communication, getting dressed will stop being a random act and will start to become intentional because you are choosing what you want your color choices to say.

Colors carry certain associations, not because of rules, but because of patterns in how our brain responds to light, contrast and what we are used to seeing.

Some colors feel stronger. Some feel calmer. Some draw attention while other colors don’t.

Colors don’t just look different, they really do communicate differently.

Navy Blue: Navy Blue is one of the most universally trusted and arguably the #1 power color globally and it’s the most well received color. Blue communicates; competence, trust, calm, & stability. This is why you see it so often in business and professional environments.

Black:

Black is one of the strongest colors you can wear. Black is the ultimate power color in fashion and formal contexts. It communicates authority, control and sophistication, its “armor”, it reveals nothing, and commands everything!

Charcoal Gray: this is the quieter cousin of black. Grey communicates, serious, established, and unshakable and is Universally respected in professional settings.

Red: Red is a statement-it is the color of dominance. It commands power and energy, it communicates confidence, energy and presence and it draws attention immediately. Red is the color you wear when you want to be noticed.

White: white on the other hand is the opposite energy of black. White has a different kind of power- white really isn’t a “power color” in the same way as black, navy blue, red and grey. White communicates clarity, cleanliness, and simplicity.

There are so many colors, but NOT every color is meant to communicate power- and that is actually a good thing- Power isn’t always the goal.

Sometimes the goal is:

*to feel approachable

*to feel relaxed and feel like yourself

* and sometimes the goal is not to intimidate people.

Those stronger, power colors communicate authority and structure.

But softer colors , like brown, beige and other neutral colors communicate something different.

They communicate approachability, grounded, and they communicate a more relaxed feel- they don’t demand attention.

At the end of the day color isn’t about following strict rules, it’s not about getting it right or wrong, it’s about awareness.

Remember Color is a tool- and when you start using it that way- your image doesn’t just look better- it makes more sense- and people respond to that.

Enjoy!

Joanne Demers

The Aging Mask-A Lifestyle Medicine Podcast

(949) 236-1529

Follow along on Instagram:
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The word superstition originally was used to describe an excessive fear of supernatural forces. Today the description of superstition is:

A belief or behavior meant to influence luck or avoid harm, without scientific proof. This doesn’t mean they are meaningless, because Psychologically Superstitions give us something very real. They give us a sense of control, and you know WE humans do not like uncertainty. We like to feel like we have some say in what happens next, even when we don’t. We hope, sometimes without realizing it, that if we do the “thing” the right way, everything will turn out ok.

You know that space between hope and fear? that is where superstition lives, and I want to explore it along with you.

Most superstitions trace back to ancient cultures trying to make sense of the world they could not explain.

Before science, before medicine, before we understood weather or illness or coincidence, people creating meaning through patterns:

They believed that:

_spirits lived in nature

_words had power

_and people believed that certain actions could protect them, or harm them, So those beliefs became superstitions, and over time those superstitions turned into rituals.

Even though we have science, data, and explanations for almost everything, superstitions haven’t disappeared, they have adapted, you see them everywhere now, just in different forms:

Instead of…

*The Black Cats Superstition

*Walking under a Ladder is bad luck

*And Broken Mirror

Superstitions new modern form is: We hear them in the way we "speak".

We now say things like:

_Don’t jinx it

_ that’s bad karma

_just my luck

_that’s a sign

We have modernized our language, but the behavior is exactly the same.

Today, people don’t use superstitions in the way they were originally intended. People once believed that superstitions could actually influence outcomes-like prevent harm or bring good luck- but in modern times, they are less about changing what happens- and more about helping us feel calm, grounded and alittle more control in uncertain moments. This doesn’t mean they are useless- instead they function more as:

*a tool for managing anxiety

* creating a sense of control as I mentioned

*and they are used to mentally prepare us for something important.

Superstitions today have become small rituals that help us feel calm-

Maybe that’s why they have lasted.

Superstitions stick around for 3 reasons:

#1 As humans We look for patterns,

#2- We seek control & comfort in uncertainty,

#3-we are drawn to meaning & mystery- even when we know it might not be real- we don’t fully believe in them-but we also don’t fully let them go.

They have survived centuries, across cultures and across generations, not because people are irrational, but because they serve real psychological functions: reducing anxiety, creating routine, and binding communities together. Superstitions are in a sense , humanities oldest coping mechanism. The specific beliefs change with culture and era, but the underlying need never really does change.

We all want to feel safe- in control- and we want to believe that our actions matter- So we knock on wood- cross our fingers, and say things “just in case”. Again; Not because we fully believe, but because a small part of us still wonders…what if it does work??

Enjoy!

Joanne Demers

The Aging Mask- A Lifestyle Medicine Podcast

(949) 236-1529

Follow along on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theagingmask

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See No Evil- Hear no Evil- Speak no Evil. You have heard & seen this before. Three Monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouth.

While its premise seems simple, this phrase actually holds a powerful lesson. It’s about “mastering” how you move through the world, how you protect your mind, your actions, and your influence so you do not become part of what’s wrong with the world, and that’s where self- discipline plays a crucial role.

See No Evil

The modern meaning: Don’t look at bad things

The original meaning: Be mindful of what you allow into your mind.

What you see& consume….All media- gossip & negativity -all of these shape your thoughts, emotions and assumptions and become mental input.

YOU and only you are responsible for your mental diet. You don’t have to “absorb” everything you SEE.

Hear No Evil

Modern meaning- Don’t listen to Bad things.

The original meaning- Be selective about what you believe and internalize.

Not Everything you hear deserves your belief- and a seat in your mind.

Opinions, criticism, fear, gossip, they are everywhere.

Just because something is said and you hear it- doesn’t make it true- and definitely doesn’t make it useful.

Speak No evil-

The modern meaning- Don’t say bad things

The original meaning- take responsibility for the impact of your words.

This one isn’t about staying quiet.

it’s about being accountable/taking responsibility for what you contribute into the world. – once something leaves your mouth-it doesn’t belong to you anymore-it affects other people.

Before speaking, try and use a simple filter:

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

And is it constructive?

Again, this isn’t about silence. Your output is the one part you fully control. Think before you talk and choose your words carefully- choose words that reflect your values and purpose- meaning-speak in a way that aligns with what you stand for- and aim to use your words to inform, help or build- NOT to harm.

It’s the only part of this you Fully control.

The Modern Balance

Here is where this gets even more important- There is criticism about this philosophy, because it is often misunderstood as passive. As if the goal is to: look the other way, stay quiet, and avoid conflict, but that’s not the original intent, that’s avoidance.

True discipline isn’t avoidance it's:

* the acknowledgement of reality

* Filtering input

*responding intentionally

*And speaking responsibly

You can see, hear and speak with awareness without becoming part of the negativity.

You can be aware of what’s happening in the world & acknowledge reality, speak up when it matters, and still chose not to absorb or spread what’s harmful.

Remember:

You don’t control everything you see-

You don’t control everything you hear-

BUT you DO control:

*what you Take in

*what you hold onto

*and you control what you put back out into the world- and that’s where this whole idea lives- not in avoiding, BUT in Awareness, responsibility and choice…that’s where your super power is.

See clearly

Hear intentionally

Speak responsibly

And don’t let everything you come across become a part of you.

Enjoy!

Joanne Demers

The Aging Mask- A Lifestyle Medicine Podcast

(949)236-1529

Follow along on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theagingmask