How to De-Stress Your Skin

It is easy to feel overwhelmed these days. You have a lot on your plate. It seems that each day you put off some task or responsibility until tomorrow, until you have such a backlog of things to do that you feel like your brain is going to explode. It is difficult under these circumstances to relax.

However, putting aside anxiety and stress is crucial for a lot of reasons. Simple daily stress and anxiety can build up, and lead to a medical diagnosis of overwhelm. When someone is clinically diagnosed as overwhelmed, they have reached the point where they cannot function normally, and they cannot get through the simplest of daily routines.

Add Stress Relief to Your Schedule

The key to relaxing in today's hectic, stress-filled, "Go, Go, Go!" world is to prioritize time for stress-relief. You must make time in your daily and weekly schedule planning for "down time" and de-stressing. This could mean adding to 10 minute sessions of meditation to your daily routine, or trying a few of the tips listed below. Whatever calms your mind and takes you to your "happy place", make sure you schedule enough of that activity.

Declutter Your Life

Clutter kills productivity, and unconsciously causes your brain to stress out. Your brain automatically tries to deal with every bit of sensory input you receive. This means that the things you see, touch, hear, smell and taste all have to be dealt with by your brain. When you have too much input coming in, especially when it is unnecessary, this clutter creates anxiety and stress.

Avoiding the feeling of being overwhelmed is always preferred to having to deal with it once it develops. This means delegating and outsourcing those tasks you do on a regular basis which you really shouldn't be worrying with. If you are a micro-manager, you feel like you have to do everything. Stop believing that. The reason why a lot of people feel stressed and overwhelmed is they attempt to do too much. Delegate the menial tasks in your life, and you can keep overwhelm at bay.

Another way to relax when you are feeling overwhelmed is to use visual cues. This could mean placing post-it notes in your home and office reminding you to calm down and enjoy a deep breathing session. It could be as simple as placing happy pictures of the ones you love where you can see them as you move throughout the day. These positive visual cues that make you feel good are simple stress-relievers that can keep you from giving in to feelings of overwhelm.

You already know how much stress can wreak havoc on your skin. Dehydration, accelerated aging, dullness, dryness, irritation, and of course the dreaded adult acne. When you are stressed out, so is your skin and it can’t act correctly if it’s out of balance. Much like you yourself struggle to cope with stress, your skin becomes irritable, depleted, and exhausted. Follow some of the tips below to de-stress your skin and your life!

Relaxed Skin

You may have noticed that when you’re under your stress your muscles hurt because you’ve been tensing. You’re doing the same to your skin, which is why worry lines across the forehead are fairly common. Provide yourself with reminders throughout the day to take a moment and let your entire body (thus your face) relax. The more frequently you do this the more you will realize just how tense you’re holding yourself.

Get Glowing Skin

Your skin cells are less active when you’re stressed which makes your skin look dull. So, make sure you’re exfoliating and moisturizing. Consider a DIY mix using items that are probably already in your fridge and/or cupboards.

Protect Your Health

Stress tends to send us right for the junk food that is if we can be bothered to eat at all. You might be exhausted, completely drained of energy and run down, but it is vital that you make the time to eat the right foods and drink plenty of water. Check out these tips for eating healthy on the go!

SPF Protection

Sunlight is great for your skin and it’s great for your stress; just don’t forget to layer the sunblock on to protect yourself from UV Rays. There’s no need to risk skin cancer and horrible wrinkles! Find out which type of sunscreen is best for you!

Prevent Eye Puffiness

The most effective way to get rid of those bags under your eyes is by getting seven hours of sleep every night. Remember, the screen of your phone or tablet simulates sunlight so ditch them at least an hour before you’re going to sleep. Create a healthy pre-bed routine to get yourself ready for sleep.

If the morning rolls around and you still have puffy eyes try using a cold spoon. Give it some time in the fridge and then press the back of it beneath your eyes and give yourself a light massage from the inner to the outer corner. This will expedite the drainage of the fluid that has accumulated. You might be tempted to turn straight for concealer to cover it up, but this usually just draws more attention to the area, because unless you’re a makeup artist you aren’t equipped to handle that puffiness. Don’t even try it, turn to the spoon immediately, and work at sleeping on your sides or back. Get rid of those bags under your eyes is by gettingenough sleep every night.

Fresh-Faced Skin

The most effective way to keep your skin dewy and fresh is by properly hydrating, so make it your goal to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. If you live in the heat then increase that! Green tea is also a great choice as are foods with a high water content, like celery, cucumbers, watermelon, beets, and tomatoes.

Another excellent way to give your skin a moisture boost is with a DIY mask like this easy Avocado and Honey Mask !

Deep Breathing

Learning how to deep breathe is an effective way to counteract stressful situations. When you feel yourself particularly stressed take notice of your breathing. Is it shallow, take a few minutes to correct it with some big breaths. It’s simple, draw in enough air to fill your belly and hold it for a few seconds before slowly exhaling. This should help you manage any adult acne breakouts or other skin conditions that affect you because of stress. Harvard University has found that this technique truly helps to control blood pressure and stress levels.

Calm Skin

We mentioned the importance of breathing exercises above, but if you suffer from hives or rashes, you should consult a doctor. There may be probiotics that can help your situation by balancing your gut bacteria. Of course, you can try buying probiotics over the counter before you make an appointment with a medical professional. That may be enough to clear up the problem, if not, head to the doctor for medical-grade goods.

Preventing Fine Lines

The best way, of course, would be to stop furrowing your brow or scowling. It sounds easy, but it takes time to get your muscles to relax. If you get stressed out at work then put a piece of tape between your brow arches. You may look silly, but every time you furrow you’ll be reminded by the crinkle of tape to change the behavior. You can do the same for above your lip if you are a lip purser. It won’t take too long before you’ve ditched the habit altogether. If your colleagues say anything about it just let them know you’ll have the last laugh when their faces are etched in worry lines and you’re sitting pretty.

Smile

Try to smile more, even if you don’t feel like it. Smiling relieves stress and it can help you recover from a stressful situation or activity much quicker, too. That doesn’t mean you’re ignoring your emotions or compartmentalizing, it’s all about positively overcoming obstacles and by faking it till you make it you’ll naturally boost your mood. Try to take notice of your unconscious grimaces and flip them upside down.

Yoga

Yoga is an excellent way to bring balance to your life. It assists the nervous system thus relieving stress and of course, helping you keep your skin fresh and clear. So, consider practicing yoga to manage your stress levels. You don’t need to find a class if you aren’t inclined to do so, you can practice basic poses at home and it only takes 10 minutes or so. It’s a great way to start your day or to enjoy before bed. You’ll find it invites deeper sleep, relieves the symptoms of mental health problems as well as stress.

And don't forget about that 'yoga glow!' Yoga poses, such as the Sun Salutation, the Child's Pose, and the Downward-Facing Dog and improves blood circulation, which sends surges of healthy oxygen to the skin. There is also research that showed yoga to have reduced inflammation and stress - two things that speed up the aging the process!

Getting Rid of Redness

Another case for deep breathing, because redness and flushing tend to stem from stress and shallow breathing. You can take it to the next level by practicing your deep breathing with an aroma diffuser to provide you with some mood boosting, stress relieving scents like chamomile, lavender, and patchouli.

Of course, you can save time by running that diffuser while practicing yoga.

Tea

As it turns out, people aren’t drinking tea because they’re relaxed, they’re drinking it to relax. The University College London completed a study which found that drinking black tea is great for de-stressing due to its ingredients! So, you might want to consider swapping coffee for tea sometimes, you get the added bonus of de-stressing with your caffeine.

Research shows that green and black teas provide protective compounds called EGCG and theaflavins that prevents the breakdown of collagen that causes wrinkles and they also may help prevent skin cancer.

Talk It Out

Stress has taken over your life, your face has broken out, and the last thing on your mind is hanging out with a friend. However, diving head first into a social situation is exactly what your body needs. When you’re stressed out you often isolate yourselves in your own emotions. So, reach out and talk it out with a friend to destress, your skin will thank you.

Alkaline Hydration

Choosing alkaline water is a healthy way to keep your body hydrated while driving impurities and toxins from your body. It also happens to help minimize puffiness by helping skin cells operate normally.

Stick to a Skin Care Routine

It doesn’t need to be a theater production; it’s all about following a regimen that takes your skin type and qualities into consideration. Choose products that calm, soothe, and hydrate. You should be washing your face 2x daily and exfoliate two to three times a week. Sticking to a routine is just as important as using the right products for your skin. Call us for a consultation, and our helpful skin care technician can help design a skin care routine for you!

Healthy Food Choices

Your diet should be packed with lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. When it comes to the last two eat with the season so you’re getting the freshest products possible, it’s what your ancestors would have done and each seasonal fruit and vegetable provides you with what you need for the current weather and time of year.

Spend Time In Nature

The more time you spend in nature the lower your cortisol levels will be, so find time to take a hike, read in the back yard, or even do your yoga in a field. The more time you spend outdoors the better (don’t forget that sunscreen!), but even grabbing five or 10 minutes a day will be enough to make a difference.

Music

It doesn’t matter whether you sit down to play the piano or you fire up a record player or your iPod. Music is an effective way to soothe your mind and reduce those cortisol levels. The most effective types of music for reducing cortisol levels are instrumental, but you should choose whatever type of music calms you the most effectively. It will lower your stress levels, thus improving (and protecting) your skin.

Superfoods

Okay, you know you need to eat a healthy diet to keep your skin looking young and destressed, but superfoods are a sure way to give skin a boost. Make sure there’s room in your diet with dark greens like asparagus, spinach, and broccoli. Fruits that are high in Vitamin C like oranges and berries are also excellent for your skin.

Let It Out

Even in the strongest of friendships and relationships, problems happen. It's impossible to expect to get along with someone all the time, and when relationships are strained your stress levels increase. If this sounds like some of your friends then learn to let it out. How will they know what they’re doing wrong unless you tell them?

You may think that avoiding confrontation is the wiser choice, but really, you’re just fueling your own stress levels. So, stop avoiding talking about your feelings and let it out! Just be sure that you’re being reasonable and not annoyed about something else entirely.

Massage Therapy

A weekly massage is an excellent way to boost your immunity and reduce your stress levels. The benefits of which last for several days after each session. If you can afford to have more regular sessions then you will experience results even more profound, however, one a week is plenty. Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay for it if that’s your concern. You can either practice a bit of self-massage or rope your partner or friend into it.

Meditation

Many people like the sound of meditation and would love to experience the benefits of it, but just don’t know where to start. It isn’t a complicated process, in fact, you’d be surprised to find out just how easy it is.

The UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center have made a variety of guided meditations available and that is a great place to start for any beginner. It’s an effective way to relieve stress and help you bring your focus to the present and of course, improving your skin

Following these hints and tips will help prevent your skin from looking stressed and rescue you from many of the early signs of aging. It’s all about finding ways to enjoy life, it flies by too quickly to miss out on it. Besides, who wants to live a stressful life instead of a happy one?

However, it really doesn’t matter what types of tips and tricks you try to improve and destress your skin if you aren’t getting the basics right. So, make sure that you are exercising regularly (that means at least four times a week for at least 20 minutes a session), drinking plenty of water, and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

The other key to healthy and happy skin is in managing your stress levels. As noted above it can wreak havoc on your entire body, including your skin. Remember stress can impact your sleep, but a lack of sleep can also increase your stress levels, therefore it is vital that you manage this effectively to prevent things from spiraling out of control.

Generally, three nights of taking a sleep aid is enough to help you get your sleep pattern back on track, however, if you have tried this and you are still struggling with it a trip to the doctor may be in order. It will be a process and that may involve cutting your caffeine take (especially after three in the afternoon, which is when it gets dicey and may prevent you from getting a good sleep.)

Every decision that you make has a consequence, so when stress leads you to indulge in fatty, sugary foods and attach a caffeine drip to your life you will lose sleep, your stress will go up, and your skin will pay the ultimate price. So, really, it is imperative that you look after the basics in order to achieve healthy, destressed skin.