Sometimes we go through the day and don’t feel stressed much at all. Then other days we deal with non-stop stressful situations, the train’s late, your computer goes down at work and then you have to deal with a family crisis back at home.
Many of us are dealing with stress continually. We’re working, bringing up a family and maybe coping with the demands of elderly parents. You’ll feel like you’re bouncing along from one stressful situation to another until you fall, exhausted, into bed at the end of the day.
What Stress Does
Stress can cause ill health, headaches and weight gain. It also plays havoc with your skin. So, what can you do to reduce your stress levels and ensure your skin doesn’t suffer?
What You Can Do
One of the most important things you can do is to make time for yourself. It’s difficult we know, but even if it only amounts to half an hour a day during the week and an hour a day over the weekend it can make a big difference.
Take the time to do something you enjoy and that helps you to relax (i.e. don’t use your spare hour to do a house spring clean). It could be a warm bath with a magazine, listening to music, taking the dog for a walk, or just sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by. Try to do something that will slow you right down, avoids stimulation and helps you to relax and switch off.
Eat well, don’t smoke and try to get a good night’s sleep. If you find that stress is making you anxious learn about meditation or mindfulness. It doesn’t mean you have to sit crossed-legged chanting. These days you can do mindfulness or meditation exercises in ten minutes or less. Try it before you get out of bed or before you go to sleep at night.
Looking After Your Skin
Feeling confident about yourself will also help you to feel better. Look after your skin. Keep up with your beauty routine. If you’re not happy because you’ve got sun spots or lines on your face, book yourself in for some sessions of microdermabrasion.
Microdermabrasion is a relaxing, non-invasive treatment that uses fine crystals to remove all the dead cells from the top layer of your skin. If you have regular treatments sun spots and fine lines will diminish. Your skin will be healthier and look more even and smooth.
Treating yourself to something that makes you feel good will reduce your stress levels and help you to feel more relaxed.
image:istock.com/Nadasaki
