We all suffer from stress – whether from bills, work or daily life struggle, it’s unavoidable. It’s easy to say, don’t stress, things will work out. I mean how can we not, right? We are only human and when life throws a curveball at us, we spend countless hours brooding over it. The best thing to do is to learn how to manage stress. If you don’t, stress will manifest itself through your hair, your skin and nails in unpleasant ways.
Let’s explore how stress affects our appearance and what we can do to manage it:
Stress and skin conditions
Under eye circles
Worrying about tomorrow is the likely cause of sleepless nights which means you get up with bags under your eyes. The reason? Fluid accumulates under your eyes because of lack of sleep so the result is a puffy under-eye area – a dead giveaway for how much rest you’ve had the night before.
If you want to get rid of those bags:
- Get at least eight hours of sleep and put away all electronic devices (preferably outside the room) before you go to bed.
- Try unwinding by drinking a soothing cup of chamomile tea or a glass of warm milk before you hit the sack.
- Put cold spoons under the eyes and massage gently from the inside to the outer corner of the eye to get that fluid moving.
Dry Skin
Believe it or not, stress is the number one cause of dry, flaky skin because when you’re anxious, you end up drinking a lot of coffee or carbonated drinks that can dehydrate your skin.
To help get your skin healthy:
- Drink plenty of water (eight glasses minimum) to counter the dehydration.
- Drink green tea to get some healthy antioxidants in your system and eat fruits and vegetables rich in fiber along with a high-water content.
- Try using a hydration serum to give a moisture kick to your skin.
Acne
We’ve all struggled with those nasty breakouts at some point or the other. Acne is also stress affecting skin condition most of the time and no matter what you do, those ugly zits just won’t go away. Your body releases cortisol when you are under stress, and this can really disrupt the balance of hormones in your system. The result? Frequent breakouts on your face and body. The balance of good and bad bacteria also goes haywire when you’re stressed.
To minimize the breakouts due to stress:
- Try taking it easy by practicing breathing and meditation exercises to calm your anxious mind.
- Maintain a healthy diet and drink lots of water to restore the hormonal balance in the body.
- Use a spot treatment or concealer for those stubborn zits that take forever to disappear.
Redness
Your face can appear very red from all the stress you put on yourself. This is because your breathing becomes shallow and you may end up even holding your breath at times, thus causing your face to appear flushed.
To help with redness:
- Aromatherapy using essential oils including Lavender and patchouli can be helpful and relaxing.
- Focus on deep breathing.
- Use calming lotions like Stillmans Aloe vera intense moisturizing lotion with the calming properties of aloe vera that soothes the skin.
Fine lines and Wrinkles
Constant frowning and pursuing your lips due to stress can cause fine lines and wrinkles, making you appear older than you are. Try to break the habit by being mindful of the facial expressions you make when you are stressed.
Try the following to break these unhealthy habits:
- Try putting a piece of clear tape between your brows when you are at work, for instance. That way, when you frown, the tape will move, reminding you not to do it.
- Do the same for your upper body to avoid tightening your lips. Soon enough, the habit will go away because wearing tape in public can be embarrassing.
- For lines that have already appeared, use anti-ageing serums or creams like Stillman’s Freckle cream to help in reducing those fine lines and wrinkles.
These are some of the common skin problems from stress. But our skin is not the only part that gets affected. Stress also has a very negative effect on our hair health.
Effects of Stress on Hair
Grey Hair
If you are getting gray hair very early, stress might be the cause of it. As stress can cause the hair follicles to stop producing melanin, thus leading to those silver streaks in your mane.
To help with this:
- Try not to overthink.
- Use Biotin and Vitamin B as supplements or increase their intake with diet, as they are known to help strengthen your hair along with delaying premature graying.
Thin Hair
Your hair can fall out quicker if you are under a lot of stress. The hair cycle goes from the growing phase to the resting phase which means new hair stops coming out. This eventually causes hair loss.
To strengthen your hair and stop hair loss due to stress:
- Try making dietary changes
- Speak to your doctor about what you can do to combat hair loss.
- Some thickening serums are also known to give the appearance of fuller hair.
Stress is an unavoidable aspect of life, but its impact on our body can be mitigated by mindful activities and proper care. By prioritizing relaxation, hydration, and a healthy lifestyle, we can reduce acne, dryness, hair loss, and premature graying. Remember, take small steps to reduce stress to improve your overall well-being. So, be kind to yourself, your body will thank you for it.
