Actionable ways to get your stress level down TODAY.
Let me start off by saying everybody, especially right now is experiencing stress. You are not alone. But, be advised, It can have long term lasting effects on your skin & overall health. A leading cause for premature skin aging, for example is long term stress. But did you know stress can make you hyper sensitive to products that normally would be great for your skin? Crazy right?! It’s true. I have studied & professionally practiced Ayurvedic healing traditions for 10 years, & in that journey I’ve learned a lot about taking care of your skin is really about taking care of YOU as a whole. The Mind, Body, Spirit connection is what it’s called. Let’s look at some relatable examples of how this works….
Stress impacts your immune system, causes your skin to be more reactive and sensitive, and triggers rashes, hives, and redness. Here’s how it works:
- Your body responds to changes in your psychological state; conditions like stress, depression, and anxiety can cause new skin issues to develop or existing skin issues to flare up. When you feel stressed, your sympathetic nervous system releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into your body. Cortisol causes increased oil production in your skin glands, which can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts. Chronic stress leads to constant increased levels of these hormones and can have a negative effect on your skin health.
Additionally, psychological conditions cause increased internal inflammation. When your body perceives a threat, the immune system sends out a response to handle it – that response is inflammation. Usually, inflammation helps protect and heal our bodies from microbes and wounds, but a body under stress causes the immune system to overreact and send out an inflammatory response.
Stress can also cause inflammation through the gut-skin connection. Stress impacts the balance of bacteria in your gut, which leads to a release of inflammation. Internal inflammation can manifest externally as skin conditions like acne, or eczema and psoriasis flare-ups. People with chronic inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea are more sensitive to flare ups when they are stressed
So, what can we do to stop it? Here’s a few things that absolutely will help:
There are many at-home steps you can take to ease the effects of stress on your skin.
- *Maintain a good skin care routine every day, even on days when you feel too tired or anxious. If being stressed makes you feel tired, you may not want to take off your makeup and wash your face before bed. But try to stick with your routine anyway, because neglect could worsen your skin issues.
- *Exercise regularly. Exercise releases feel-good hormones that will improve your energy, mood, and outlook.
- *Take time for yourself. Find the time to engage in a relaxing, re-energizing activity that makes you happy – read a book, take a warm bath, get a massage, listen to music, meditate, or practice yoga and deep breathing exercises.
Most importantly, we encourage you to talk to someone if stress is having a negative impact on your health and well-being. Confide in a trusted friend, family member, therapist or spiritual counselor. Even just knowing you have someone by your side can help you feel stronger in your capability to handle stress.
We also encourage you to seek help from the professionals at Julep Day Spa. Our team can often times help identify the underlying causes of your skin issues and help create an effective treatment plan. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
This blog post is meant to encourage & inspire you to really take better care of yourself. Honestly. Print it off, carry it with you and look at it often for tools to get you through stressful moments when you just can’t think. We cannot avoid stress but we can control our reactions to it.
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