Stress-Busting tips that’ll help your skin

Pending job cuts at the office, Back-to-back final exams, An unexpected surgery. What do they all have in common? In a word – stress.

Stress isn’t just an unpleasant emotion: it’s the cause of a complex set of physiological changes in the body that can result in everything from dull, lifeless skin to acne, premature wrinkling and an increased risk of heart disease.

Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed, you break out more? This is because when you are stressed, the level of the body’s stress hormone (cortisol) rises. This in turn causes an increase in oil production, which can lead to oily skin, acne and other related skin problems. Stress causes a chemical response in your body that makes skin more sensitive and reactive. It can also make it harder for skin problems to heal.

Stress can have negative effects on skin issues you may already have, such as psoriasis or fever blisters and increases your risk of skin infections like cold sores.

Skin problems can also be stressful.  Some people are so embarrassed by their skin that they keep to themselves, which adds more stress, worsening the problem.

Although it’s impossible to avoid stress completely, there are ways to handle it better. Try these approaches:

1. Minimize stress: – While you can’t erase stress completely, there are ways to keep it to a minimum. Like physical activity, whether it’s jogging, tennis, gardening.
2. Get enough sleep: – Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.
3. Don’t end up eating junk: – Many people, when they’re stressed out, end up stress eating. This sees them mindlessly cramming whatever’s around them into their mouth without bothering to consider the nutritional aspect. Worse yet, they tend to reach for ‘comfort’ foods that are loaded with sugar or grease, both of which can have a negative effect on your skin. This is why it’s a good idea to keep ready-prepared healthy snacks within easy reach.
4. Don’t pick! : – When you’re under pressure, many people who like to pick at their pimples end up doing this even more. Don’t be tempted to do it. Squeezing or scratching at spots can end up leading to permanent acne scarring and dirty nails can lead to inflammation and infection, making the pimple even worse.
5. Remember your routine: –When your mind’s stressed out or preoccupied, it’s easy to forget about your skincare routine. To ensure you don’t end up going to bed with your makeup on or without applying your night cream, keep your cleanser, toner and moisturizer next to your bed.
6. Bad habits: – Stress can trigger the onset of unhealthy habits such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and comfort eating. Again, this can make you less determined to exercise and can create an unhealthy cycle, where you rely on these things to help you relieve stress. This can lead to bad skin as well as other health problems.

It’s hard to avoid stress these days with so many competing demands for your time and attention. But with good stress management skills, you can cope with stress in a healthy way. Stress and Skin affects don’t have to be permanent. If you get your stress under control, your skin may become more glowing and healthy. Try the above mentioned stress management techniques to combat stress-related skin issues.