Have you ever had that tingling feeling on your face after a particularly stressful day? Sometimes acne sufferers experience this the most because stress is having an effect on their face in a physical way. We usually associate stress with emotional distress or mental factors, but in the case of acne it can definitely impact your skin as well. Some of you might already have realized this after seeing the results on your face that go along with particularly stressful moments or days. It’s another unfortunate and annoying aspect of acne that you have to deal with, but at least knowing that this is a factor will allow you to do something about it.
There are various factors that can cause stress in daily life and some of the most common include problems related to:
Relationships
Job
School
Responsibilities
Important events
Peer pressure
General anxiety
Stress can impact your acne in a variety of ways and some of the most important are:
1. An effect on hormones and internal chemistry – this can in turn lead to oilier skin that is a major factor in acne formation.
2. An inflammatory effect on skin – stress can manifest itself in a physical way that affects your skin walls and pores.
3. Causing your skin to fatigue – Strong skin is better able at fighting off acne while skin that is constantly undergoing stress is more susceptible to breakouts.
Keep in mind that although stress is a factor of acne formation for some people, it’s not always a contributor for everyone. But if you believe that it is definitely playing the role in breakouts and blemishes, the good news is you can do something about it. Don’t expect to be able to solve your anxiety problems overnight because sometimes it takes careful reflection and a change in lifestyle habits. Luckily, anybody can learn how to reduce the amount of stress in their lives and it will have benefits that extend far beyond your acne situation. Here are some simple tips to help you reduce or manage stress in order to get a handle on your acne situation.
Get Organized – a lot of times people feel stress when they are overwhelmed and there are one too many things to deal with. Most people are adept at handling one situation at a time, but stress breakouts can happen when life gives us unexpected turns. Unfortunately, this can occur more often than we like and the result is an undue amount of stress. When things seem to be spiraling out of control it’s important to stop and take a breath. Try to organize yourself and later things into steps as best as you can. When you tackle one problem at a time, it makes things a lot more manageable rather than trying to solve everything all at once.
Exercise – when you are feeling stressed the last thing you may want to do is exercise, but you might want to change your mind. Exercise has a profound beneficial effect on you physically, and it can help to get your body chemistry back on track. Some people worry that the combination of sweat and stress will make their acne worse, but as long as you make sure to wash well afterwards you’ll have nothing to worry about. And remember, no one says you have to go out and run a marathon in order to be active – even a walk around the block can be incredibly relaxing.
Sleep – this element is a bit of a chicken and egg aspect – some people have stress because they can’t sleep while others can’t sleep because they have stress. Sleep often gets overlooked when it comes to good health but you should definitely make an effort to improve your sleeping habits at night. Good restful deep sleep is incredibly effective at helping to reduce stress levels in addition to allowing your body to heal naturally. It will also do wonders when dealing with how to get rid of acne, especially since your oil glands are least active when you are asleep.
Eat healthier – there are some foods that are more conducive to relaxation than others. Some of them include fruits, vegetables, and green tea. Fast food or anything deep-fried is probably not a great combination when you are experiencing stress as well. Other foods will lead to further inflammation and when combined with stress, it will definitely create a situation where breakouts are more common. Read more here about the best foods for good skin.
Listen to music – whatever genre of music you love, take some time to plug-in a set of headphones and just enjoy it. It’s not just about what’s popular, scientific studies have proven that music can have a deep emotional impact and alter your body chemistry as well. In short, it can give you a boost when you most need it, so plug into your favorite tunes today.
Take a bath – take some time out of your day and simply enjoy a bath. This is something of a lost tradition that has fallen by the wayside because of the fast pace of life these days. Most people only have time to hop into the shower before they have to jump to their next activity. A bath can be incredibly relaxing and it’s a good opportunity for some “me time”. And when it comes to acne, it’s far preferable to soak in a bath for a wild rather than taking a hot shower because the latter can end up dehydrating your skin.
Get Help – some people are embarrassed or frightened to ask for help when it comes to high stress levels. But remember, nobody expects you to be able to handle everything on your own. You cannot get to the top of any situation by yourself and it’s essential to realize when to ask for help. Even talking to a friend or family member can be an incredibly important step to helping you to relieve stress and anxiety. Holding everything in his not healthy and it can be incredibly cathartic to share your problems with someone else. Who knows, you might be able to help them in the process as well. Is your stress is due directly to acne, consider seeing a dermatologist.
Positive attitude – it’s all too easy to have negative thoughts dominate your life when you are surrounded by stress. But this can lead to a self-perpetuating cycle where you are trapped in a dangerous mental circle of negative thoughts that perpetuate the stress in your life. Try to break that cycle by having a positive attitude and taking the types of actions necessary to solve your stress in a healthy way.
Appreciate life/ have fun – this is somewhat related to the point above but deserves its own category. Quite often when we feel overwhelmed it’s very easy to get down on ourselves for the world. But in almost every situation there are things to appreciate. Whether it’s friends, family, or the fact that we have our overall health it’s important to stop and smell the roses on occasion. If you are constantly searching for perfection or worrying about what you don’t have, that type of stress is never going to solve itself. Stress from outside sources can be very frustrating but the most harmful kind comes from your own expectations. Try to find happiness in your immediate life and try to have some fun in the process.
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