Personal Insight Post: Faith and Spiritual Trauma

My mental health from a spiritual perspective is still an ongoing process. The amount of faith I have in my own abilities... Well, I know that this is something that will get tested time and time again. Even if I struggle to see it, I know deep down that I've already built up a lot of resilience over the years.

Spiritual trauma, in my own words, is something that correlates to this deep-rooted sense of being shamed or judged by either yourself or by others. This isn't to say that I've been shamed or judged personally, but when people stop talking because of their own limited abilities to understand what you're saying (or because they just don't agree with your stance entirely), it's hard to not jump to conclusions. It leads you to think that there's something wrong with you, or that you must be crazy simply because my mind works differently than theirs. It kind of makes you feel like you're an outsider of some sort and no one else gets you. 

Self-judgment, or feeling less than because you're not able to "have more faith" like the concept of faith is this simple on and off switch, is something I've struggled with since entering my 20's. I know that for a lot of people in their 20's, figuring out your own life is difficult. For me, what really made my 20's hard is figuring out my own sense of identity and how I perceived myself. Depression makes this harder, because then you're having to deal with this almost persistent negative voice inside your head, and you don't know why it's there. I've come a long way when it comes to managing that voice's power and keeping negative self-talk to a minimum, but every now and then, I still find that voice threatening to creep up whenever I find myself under intense stress. 

I mainly wanted to make this post because mental health is something I feel passionate about and want to advocate for as much as I can. The struggles I've faced throughout my 20's have taught me a lot about myself, and whenever I feel like my faith journey has become stagnant in some way, I have to remember that there's always a choice for me to make. If I need rest, then I will try my best to just rest, meditate or pray. If I feel like I'm in need of some comfort, I will choose what works best for me and fit that in accordingly. If I feel like I'm close to burnout or feel exhausted, then I will rely on my own set of self-care practices and take it easy. To me, faith is a choice, and choosing to have faith is obviously a good thing. However, having doubts is also okay because it makes me human. I'm not someone who can be easily convinced, and sometimes, I may need extra reassurance or gentle reminders of why I'm feeling a certain way, and then give myself permission to let go and move on. 

People can definitely cause trauma, but sometimes, trauma can also be self-inflicted based on conceptualized thoughts and ideas that clash with one another. People always say that you should choose carefully who you keep in your life. We don't want to hang around people who drain your energy or make you feel like you're hard to love, but at the same time, we all need to be challenged in life sometimes. This isn't to say that you need to stay with someone who treats you poorly or to tolerate abuse (which you shouldn't), but for every person you meet, there's a lesson learned. Your values and standards will become more apparent to you based on who you interact with the most. So from my own experiences at least, I realize that the people that I've grown the closest to as an adult, and while we all have our own unique personalities, are people who genuinely want to see me grow and succeed in life. These people are easy to talk to and fun to be around because they're able to be themselves, and they allow me to be myself as well. All of this is to say that I have high standards when it comes to friendship, and while I understand that relationships take time and effort in order to grow, there are still some things that are hard for me to understand when it comes to relationships in general. It's all a learning process, and to wrap this up, the one thing I'll say that's helped me put things in perspective is that in order to become a better version of yourself, you need to first learn to stop letting the small things get to you. 

Designer vs. Luxury: What's the Difference, and Why Does it Matter?

Nearly everything the average person owns has some sort of brand name or label on it, but in the fashion world, the two words that get tossed around the most are “designer” or “luxury” when referring to brand names or labels. The reason for this is because of marketing and/or status (mostly marketing though from what I’ve learned), and when there’s a big name like Louis Vuitton or Chanel, people will recognize it immediately because of its history within elite/popular culture. Icons like Audrey Hepburn or Lady Diane are just a couple examples of public figures/celebrities who have helped the fashion industry gain its popularity over the years, but as far as history is concerned, I’m not an expert. 

So even though I do love fashion, the ideas behind what’s considered luxury and designer are something I never really thought about [until the past couple years] as a small part of me has never really cared for it. At the same time however, if one can look past their own preconceived biases or financial insecurities, one can honestly learn a lot about the history of fashion and why people take such a great interest in it. For me personally, fashion and style is definitely a form of self-expression, but it also allows for a sense of connection to others who enjoy the topic as much as I do. Buying into luxury fashion is something that people do for various reasons, and it’s not always about acquiring some sort of high status or wanting to be liked or seen by others- though, I do feel like these are the most common reasons. With all of this said, I’d say that the differences between the word “luxury” and “designer” are very much subjective.

Designer brands like Michael Kors, Tory Burch, or anything that costs less than $1000 or even $500 could be considered “luxury” if you want to call it that, but quality and craftsmanship becomes questionable depending on the origins of its materials and how they hold up over time per use. When you think about how many products the US receives that are from China, do you also question if the people who are making these products are being treated fairly, or are being given a living wage?  The same questions could be applied to imports from India or Italy. None of this is mentioned to be used as a scare tactic, but more so to help educate ourselves on the impact that the fashion industry has on the environment. Luxury brands as well rely on the hard work and effort of factory workers, but again, you’d have to question what makes luxury brands like Chanel, Dior or Prada worth the money. Is it because you know that the quality of the product will stand the test of time? Is the color versatile with the other options you have in your wardrobe? Will this product be well cared for, and will this serve as a forever piece that will actually be used? Again, people will have their own reasons for wanting to buy these things, but for me at least, I think it would be best to consider function first while keeping form and structure in account. 

So when looking at the words luxury and designer objectively, the difference in my eyes lies mostly within status. Brands like Dior, Chanel, Prada, etc. are known because you see them being worn by public figures. You’d have to have a multi-figure salary in order to afford those brands, but other designer labels like Michael Kors, Kate Spade or Coach… While they can be expensive depending on its popularity by demand, they can be more catered to the masses (to an extent) because you’ll eventually see these brands on the resale or secondhand market. Granted, you can also find Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton on the secondhand market as well, but the prices are still expensive because there’s more value behind them as they are status pieces. 

So if you’ve heard of the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, then perhaps knowing that can give a bit of a better insight as to why luxury brands are so popular. For some people, there’s just a sense of beauty in looking at a leather handbag that’s been made with the slightest details considered, all the way from stitching to the placement of the logo and the hardware being lined up in a way that’s just right. I really hope this post gives you something to think about in terms of fashion history, or maybe you’ll just gain a better sense of appreciation as to why fashion is important. Thanks for reading and have a great day!