You’re watching the news, sitting in traffic or late for an important meeting. Your brain's hypothalamus (control tower) decides it's time to send out the stress hormones! These hormones trigger your body's “fight or flight” response and your palms get sweaty, heart races and your muscles tense. You are on high alert! As cavewomen and men this response was vital to protecting our body by preparing us to react quickly. Today, in the 21st century, we are not typically fending for our lives daily, yet our stress response keeps firing. 

From a skincare perspective, increased stress hormones (cortisol/adrenaline) can result in more oil production, inflammation, and a decreased immune system. Cortisol causes increased oil production in skin glands, which can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts. Inflammation internally impacts the gut-skin connection. Bacteria in the gut becomes unbalanced leading to a release of inflammation. This often manifests as eczema, psoriasis or acne flare-ups. A decreased immune system causes our skin to be more sensitive triggering rashes, hives and redness.

Our skin health has a powerful impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing. Acneic breakouts, poor skin tone, fine lines and blemishes can dramatically undermine our self-confidence. At Radiance we can help treat general skin concerns and increase mental wellbeing with treatments like microneedling, dermaplaning, facials or even the plasma pen.   

Confidence, self-esteem and managing stressors in the modern world is not some “woo-woo” topic. This is something we should take very seriously. A confident person can recognize their good qualities and will generally strive for a happy and successful life. Someone with low self-esteem/confidence can have negative feelings about themselves, believing that they are unworthy of happiness or success. Research links low self-esteem to poor quality-of-life which can be a potentially dangerous way to live. 

Our “food, water, shelter” struggles have been replaced with millions of diverse, technical, complicated stressors brought to you by our modern world. These stressors are constantly evolving and there is no “one-size fits all” solution. The best way to navigate stress is to have a toolbox of coping mechanisms you can be ready to implement at a moment's notice. Here are a few of our favorites! 

Meditation:

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. Breathe deeply, scan your body, repeat a mantra, walk and meditate. There are no rules here, meditate however feels best for you. Check out the apps headspace and unplug to get you started. 

Self-Care:

Schedule time every day, week or month to take care of yourself. That may mean taking a bubble bath, getting a facial, getting coffee with a friend or taking a walk out in nature. This time is for you to slow your mind down, disconnect from the constant stimulus of the 24/7 news cycle and social media.

Establish clear boundaries with your stressors:

Setting boundaries is an important part of establishing one’s identity and is a crucial aspect of mental health and well-being. Define what is causing the stress and address that stressor. This can look as simple as removing your work email thread from your cell phone or as definite as sitting down with a loved one to establish clear boundaries.

Develop a healthy routine:

Regular exercise, practicing self-care, sleeping enough every night, eating healthy and implementing a consistent skincare routine are all excellent ways to help better manage your stress. 

Managing stress and anxiety is something we have been trying to perfect for generations. Do not be discouraged if you have a hard time implementing some of these coping mechanisms right away. Be patient with yourself and if your anxiety is showing on your skin, you’re not alone! Stop by Radiance in Wilbraham, MA for a free consultation. We can access your skin and lifestyle habits to create a holistic skincare treatment plan and help you develop a healthy routine.

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