Stress and Your Skin
Today I want to talk about stress and skin health. I believe that we often do not know how much stress impacts our skin. On October 4, 2023, I did an Instagram post showing my face in the past couple of months and how different it looked because of stress that I was having.
Stress is unavoidable and what it looks like for one person, it may not look like for another. However, one thing is for sure, it impacts our skin greatly since what is happening inside our bodies is a direct correlation to what we see outside of our bodies.
When you are going through a period of stress, what you may notice this that it brings out skin issues even more. Examples of this may be if you have dry skin, it becomes drier and if you have oily skin, it becomes oiler.
I noticed the following with myself:
I was emotionally eating because of stress so my skin was becoming drier because I was eating more sugar and drinking less water than I normally do.
I was breaking out more (and I NEVER breakout – but my diet is a good guess as to why), which then caused me to pick as a stress reliever – so know I have created more trauma to my skin, which has left me with some hyperpigmentation.
My skin had a duller appearance, as opposed to the youthful glow and dewy skin that I am used to. This is probably due to diet and just stress and it fluctuates hormones.
Bags under my eyes due to lack of sleep because of stress.
The best way to combat this is to manage your stress as best as you can. It is not easy as a mom as there are constant stressors. However, here some suggestions for you (some of which I am incorporating):
When you want to eat – try drinking an herbal tea. I find that tea is so relaxing. I started making it a bit of a special occasion by using my single cup loose leaf tea pot and having a cup. It always makes me feel better.
When you cannot sleep – give yourself a bedtime. Sometimes giving yourself a time a decent time to get to bed instead of winging it may help. I notice that when I give myself a bedtime (a set time that I need to be in bed by), it doesn’t allow for me to mindlessly eat, and gives my body that much needed rest – which then takes care of the bags under my eyes.
Focus on the things you can change – not on the things you can’t. I am a strong believer that stress for moms is also about things that we are unable to control and change. There are things that are just out of our control, and we need to make peace with that. It’s hard, I know, but it is necessary.
Drink plenty of water – I used to be a Coke addict and I noticed that when I am stressed, that’s the first thing I reach for. However, since switching back to water, my skin does not feel as tight, there is some clear cleansing happening AND I am fuller, which means, no room for the sweets. Can’t stress eat if I am full, right?!?
Take care of your skin - Stress impacts skin on such a HUGE level. It took only 2 months for my skin to start looking dull and haggard AFTER years of hard work. So keep that skincare routine going and use it as a tool to help you de-stress in the evenings!
Other suggestions are: reading a book, working on an art(sy) project, journalling, going for a walk.
Whatever you decide remember that stress will never go away, but it can be managed and when it is not managed, it directly affects our skin.
If you need help with dull and dry skin, email me and ask me about my 90 Days to Glowing Skin Program.
